The Ganga River is an Asian trans-boundary river that flows through India and Bangladesh. It is known as the Ganga in India and the Ganges internationally. Also, its conventional name is the Ganges. Its length is 2,525 kilometres (1,569 miles). It is considered highly sacred in Hinduism. It rises from the Indian state named Uttarakhand and flows through the Gangetic plains of North India. The general direction of River Ganga is from northwest to southeast. However, at the delta, the flow is generally towards the south. 

Discussion

Since time immemorial, hundreds of millions of people have depended on the Ganga for their daily needs. It has immense environmental, economic, and cultural significance, and the towns and cities on its banks have benefitted immensely from it. It flows through many cities of India. Name of the most important cities that lie on the banks of the Ganga River

The Ganga River passes through Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Jharkhand. Consequently, it passes through many cities in these states. Some major cities are Haridwar, Rishikesh, Kanpur, Jajmau, Allahabad, Mirzapur, Ghazipur, Patna, Bhagalpur, Baharampur, Kolkata, Bhagalpur, etc. Let us get information about it.

Important cities in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh and the impacts of river Ganga on them

• Haridwar: It is a city in Uttarakhand and located at a distance of 253 km from the opening of river Ganga at Gaumukh at the rim of the Gangotri glacier. It is one of the four places where Kumbha Mela is celebrated. Here, the water of Ganga is the clearest and frosty compared to other cities it passes through. However, this characteristic is not shown in the stormy season. 

• Kanpur: It is located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and lies on the right side of the river Ganga. This place is raised high from the Ganga River and causes the city’s water level never to surge. However, some rustic edges of the city lie on the flood inclined zone of the Ganga, and its water frequently surges in the towns and cities located here, amid the rainy season.
• Prayagraj: It is located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This place is the seventh most crowded city in the state and the second most established city in India. It is an important Hindu holy city and one of the locations where the Kumbha Mela is celebrated.

Prime cities in Bihar and West Bengal and the impacts of river Ganga on them.

• Patna: It is the largest city in the Indian state of Bihar and has a width of 8 km along the southern river bank. Here, it straddles Punpun, Son, and Gandak. River Ganga leads to highly fertile alluvial rich fields here, yielding Sugarcane, Rice, etc. 

• Bhagalpur: It lies on the southern banks of Ganga and is the second-largest city of Bihar, after Patna. It has a significant dock of the Ganga River, known as Champanagar, now called Champanala. Also, the famous Vikramshila Gangetic dolphins reside in the Vikramshila Gangetic dolphins Sanctuary.

• Baharampur: It is located in West Bengal and is its seventh-largest city. Also, this city is a remarkable Jute producer.
• Kolkata: It is the capital city of the Indian state of West Bengal and is situated on the east bank of Hooghly stream. It lies on the lower Ganga delta of eastern India.

The river Ganga first touches the boundary of Jharkhand in its district named Sahebganj. Here, it flows eastwards and has a length of 80 km here.

Promotes economy in the cities on its banks

The water provided by the river Ganga and its tributaries are a perennial source of irrigation and lead to the production of many crops like rice, oilseeds, and potatoes. Apart from this, it also provides fishing opportunities. As a result, millions of people come from India to dip in the Ganga in the three holy towns to Hinduism named Haridwar, Allahabad (Prayagraj), and Varanasi. In this way, it promotes tourism. Additionally, it attracts adventure enthusiasts in the summer months in a town named Rishikesh.

The Pollution Problem

Despite the enormous positive impacts of Ganga on the cities, it passes through. It faces severe pollution generated by the 400 million people who live close to it. Its prime causes sewage dumping from numerous cities, industrial and religious offerings covered in plastic bags. It can be known that the number of faecal coliform bacteria from human waste is more than a hundred times the government’s official limit. According to the World Bank estimates, the health costs of water pollution in India account for three percent of India’s GDP. 

Conclusion

You must have known a lot about the cities on the Ganga river banks and the impacts it has on them, religiously, historically, environmentally, and economically. To sum up, the river Ganga is the chief river of India. It provides highly fertile soil and life to rich species of flora and fauna. Still, it is facing a severe pollution problem.