The Ganges River

By: Chandan PanditBatch Code:14/02

Advance (Morning Batch)

Introduction

“The Ganges, especially, is the river of India, beloved of her people, round which are intertwined her memories, her hopes and fears, her songs of triumph, her victories and her defeats. She has been a symbol of India’s age long culture and civilization, ever changing, ever flowing, and yet ever the same Ganges”

Features• Major river of India and Bangladesh.• Flows southeastward from the Himalayas

for 1,550 miles to the Bay of Bengal.• Floods occur frequently during summer.

FeaturesHindus consider the Ganges a sacred riverWaters are believed to be holy and capable of washing away sins.

Banks have tempted cities.Holiest of the cities is Varanasi.

The Ganges Plain

•One of the most productive regions in AsiaDeep, rich soils•Main Crops: Grains, sugarcane, cotton and oilseeds•River provides irrigation water during dry season•One of the world’s most densely populated regions•Main cities of India are located on or near Ganges

Pollution on the GangesMajor Pollution Industries:

Leather industriesUse large amounts of chemicals which then find

way into the river

Waste being dumpedNearly 1 billion liters per dayUntreated raw sewage

Inadequate cremation proceduresPartially burnt or unburnt bodiesLivestock

Conclusions    Pollution in the Ganges River occurs daily

when civilians from all over come to bath in the most sacred river in India. The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) is in effect, and will be about a seven-year process. The first phase of this plan had failed, and the people hope that the second phase will be effective. The civilians are sure it will fail if elecric-powered pumps like the other clean-up ideas run it. Hopefully over the upcoming years the awareness of the polluted Ganges River will increase. The more inventions thought up on how to clean the river the better, so that the people who consider the river sacred can at least bath in a river that is just as pure as its reputation.  

Thanking You