Ganga River - A River in Need
Introduction
The Ganga river, more commonly known as the Ganges river, is a trans-boundary river about 2525 km long, which flows through the nations of India and Bangladesh. Its major tributaries include the Yamuna, Son, Kosi and Gandak rivers. Being named after the goddess Ganga, it is one of the most sacred rivers to Hindus. One of the most important Hindu festivals, the Kumbh Mela, is celebrated at the banks of this river. The people of India are so connected with this river, some families even rely on it. But now with harmful problems like pollution and climate change, the river will become a massive flow of garbage if not treated correctly. The UNEP needs to focus on certain problems to find solutions to make the Ganges river healthy again.
Importance of the River
The Ganga river is a very spiritual and holy river for Hindus especially. The river provides a water supply for over 500 million people in India and the Ganga basin is inhabited by 37% of India’s population. The loss of the river’s use would create a problem for those who depend on it and it will kill religious beliefs for its purity.
For Hindus, the Ganga river is looked upon as the goddess Ganga and is one of the most sacred and important natural landmarks. For them, it is important that they worship the goddess to receive blessings for a better future. To do so, one must bathe in the “pure” water of the Ganga river. The water that the Indian public call pure is now very polluted and facing issues that are hard to deal with. The significance of this river’s spiritual connection with the people of India, especially Hindus, is the biggest importance of the river. This importance is soon becoming a burden, and nothing is being done to solve the issue.
Problems with The Ganges River
Pollution
The Ganges river is now a very polluted river, filled with garbage and human waste. These prominent levels of pollution can be dangerous to humans and marine life species. In fact, New Delhi alone produces 3.6 billion litres of sewage each day, half of which is poorly treated. This sewage and waste from dump sites eventually end up in bodies of water like the Ganges.
With all the pollution issues the Ganges is facing, websites such as ‘www.fairobserver.com’ call the river “too toxic to be holy,” which might even become reality in the future. To fix this, the Indian government has tried to clean the Ganges for the past 30 years and running. Countries like Bangladesh and Israel have also volunteered to help clean the Ganges. But, even after many efforts to clean the Ganges, no major changes have occurred.
The main source of all this pollution is unmanaged sewage systems and industries along the floodplains whose waste flow right into the Ganges river. The facts are; over 1.3 billion litres of sewage flows into the Ganges every day along with over 260 million litres of industrial waste a day. The water quality of this river is so poor, in 100 millilitres of water, there are 50,000 bacteria. This is 10,000% more than the government set standard for safe bathing. This pollution is not going to fix itself, so it needs to be treated before it’s too late.
Climate Change
Another issue with the Ganga river is the occurring climate change. Melting glaciers, the biggest one being the Gangotri glacier are expected to melt by the year 2030–2035. When this massive piece of frozen water melts, the Ganga river will become more of a seasonal river, highly depending on monsoon seasons. Climate change is already affecting the river’s fresh water supply. Due to rising sea levels, salt water flows into the fresh water of the Ganges creating an imbalance. There have also been times when saltwater fish have been spotted in this river. This may also cause the extinction of endangered freshwater dolphins in the Ganga river.
Dams and man-made obstructions
Hundreds of operational, under construction or planned dams, are along the Ganges. These dams are harmful to nature/life in the river. Firstly, dams damage the geography of the river. Dams can obstruct the natural flow of water, reducing oxygen content in the water posing dangers to fish and underwater organisms that help keep the river ecosystem healthy. Dams can also stop the migration of some fish, making it hard for them to reproduce. Dams can prove harmful to the river’s ecosystem, and so it is important that we slow down the progression of dams being constructed and keep the number of dams at a minimal.
Long and short-term effects
Some short-term effects the Ganga river can now bring with all the issues it has are:
· Sickness. The Ganges polluted water can bring sickness to whom bathes in the water for an extensive period.
· An increased mortality rate among underwater organisms. All the pollution can kill certain creatures that need clean, fresh water.
· Damage to the area. Dams can damage ground underneath their base and can bring uncommon events which can even lead to the destruction of the dam.
· Death of people and underwater organisms. When dangerous chemicals such as methyl isocyanate gas are released into the environment, many people and animals’ lives are threatened
Some long-term effects of what the Ganga river can bring with all the issues it has are:
· Extinction of species. For example, the endangered Ganges river dolphin is facing problems and will continue to if the Ganga river is not cleaned.
· Public closure of the river. The high toxic levels of the Ganges will build up to the point that it is dangerous to set foot in it, or to the point when based on your vision you back away because going in this river could put in many health risks river.
· Drinking Water Contamination. Contaminated water can get through underwater aquifers and into taps at our homes. This can lead to terrible sickness among those who get their water from the Ganges river.
· Water levels frequent change. With glaciers melting, the Ganges and seawater levels are rising and in the summer evaporating, causing the floods to occur randomly and making the river very seasonal.
Solutions
The biggest and most controllable problem with the Ganges is the pollution, so the first issue to fix should be pollution. To highly reduce the amount of pollution released into the Ganges, the local government should focus on fixing their sewage system, making sure that there are no leaks and to improve sewage management. India is already fighting pollution and waste on their streets with their “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan”, so now would be an appropriate time to start cleaning the river as well.
As mentioned before, to reduce the amount of physical damage to the Ganges river, the construction of dams should be slowed down. Dams are one problem that cannot be eliminated, and so the progress of them being built should be reduced. Doing so will benefit the Ganges’ ecosystem by lowering the risk of erosion and endangered species going extinct, making the river healthier of an ecosystem than what it is now.
Another way to help the Ganges river is to cancel or reduce the number of power plants and industries along the Ganges river’s tributaries. The waste from these locations is dumped straight into the river without any second thoughts. To reduce or eliminate the future production of these industries would mean that the amount of industrial waste from these plants would be highly reduced. This not only benefits the Ganga river but also reduce the increasing amount of pollution in India.
Summary
The Ganga river (better known as the Ganges river) is a river system located in Northeast India and Bangladesh. It is one of the most important and sacred rivers to Hindus. The river is host to religious events and even named after a Goddess (Ganga Mata). However, the river is now facing key issues that need to be corrected.
Issues the Ganga river faces include pollution, climate change and dams. Pollution, being the worst of the issues is so severe in this river that the water is 10 000% more than the standard set by the government for safe bathing. Glaciers melting due to climate change will make the river seasonal depending on monsoon seasons and it will affect the Ganga’s freshwater supply. Dams are another issue. They prove harmful to the ecosystem of the river. Due to dams, erosion and species extinction will occur with more frequency. Without anything being done, issues will keep destroying the river until it is inaccessible.
Although restoring the river will take a great amount of time and effort put in by the government, there are a few good places to start. Firstly, pollution can be reduced greatly by maintaining sewage systems well. Sewage systems are one of the main contributors to pollution in the Ganga river so solving this first issue is crucial. Secondly, the construction of dams should be reduced. Lastly, future development of power plants and industries along the river and its tributaries should be cancelled or reduced. It is important that this change occurs because these industries dump their waste straight into the Ganga river causing vast amounts of water pollution. Taking these steps will help rejuvenate the Ganga for years coming and although it is a challenge to solve the issues with the Ganga river, the result would be all that is needed.
