Ganga the Perennial: Will it be Pristine Again? Part II

 Key Takeaways

·      Ganges has been the cradle of Indian civilization and is the holiest of all the rivers in the world especially for the Hindu community.

·      The river Ganga finds its origin at Devaprayag. The journey begins at Gomukh as Bhagirathi which confluences with the Alaknanda. Flowing through UP and Bihar past the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal Ganga enters Bangladesh where it’s renamed Padma.

·      Not only people of India but those also of other nationalities have become aware of the importance of Ganga. This means a hug social and cultural contribution.

·      There are many stakeholders for the Ganga who are committed to the reduction of the pollution. Namami Gange Programme has given many engagement frameworks for entry level, pollution control and can join many NGO’s like the Ganga Seva Nidhi to work towards pollution abatement of the river

·      There should be a water budget with expenditure and a revenue site. The revenue site includes the rainfall which translates into the surface water, ground water and the operational losses.

·      Expenditure site includes a certain amount of outflow irrigation, urban and industrial requirements and spheres where intervention is required

·      Massive afforestation drives should be undertaken all along the basin. The selected species should be such that they would provide shelter to the birds.