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The Ganga, often known as the Ganges, is India’s longest river, running 2,510 kilometres across mountains, valleys, and plains. The Bhagirathi River originates in the Himalayan snowfields of the Gangotri Glacier. Other rivers join it subsequently, including the Alaknanda, Yamuna, Son, Gumti, Kosi, and Ghagra. The Ganga river basin is one of the world’s most fertile and highly populated places, covering 1,000,000 square kilometres. The river has two dams, one in Haridwar and the other in Farakka. The Ganges River Dolphin is a critically endangered species that only lives in this river.
Hindus regard the Ganga as the world’s most sacred river. Cities like Varanasi, Haridwar, and Allahabad have important religious rites along the river’s banks. The Ganga widens into the Ganges Delta in Bangladesh’s Sunderbans swamp before emptying into the Bay of Bengal at the end of its trip.
National River of India & Ganga Action Plan (GAP)
Rajiv Gandhi, India’s former Prime Minister, first proposed the Ganga Action Plan in 1986. Phase I of the Ganga Action Plan entailed:
To reduce the amount of pollutants in the river
To bring river water up to ‘Bathing Class Standard’ quality.
To improve the water’s quality
Domestic sewage must be intercepted, diverted, and treated.
To avoid the discharge of harmful industrial waste into the river
To prevent non-point pollutants from entering the river unintentionally.
To encourage research and development in order to keep the river pure and clear.
New sewage treatment technology is being developed.
To rehabilitate soft-shelled turtles in order to reduce pollution, as has been effectively proved.
To employ Ganga as a resource recovery alternative in order to generate methane for electricity production.
To implement similar action plans on other portions of the Ganga River
Summary of some of the most important aspects of GAP phase I
When was the first phase of the Ganga Action Plan launched?
It was first released in June of 1985.
How many towns were included in Phase I of the Ganga Action Plan?
There were 25 towns (Class I) covered. The following towns were among them:
Uttar Pradesh; six towns.
Bihar; four towns.
West Bengal; 15 towns.
Phase II of the Ganga Action Plan
GAP Phase II began in 1993 and covers seven states: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Delhi, and Haryana.
In the second phase, a Ganga action plan for all of these tributaries was developed. For the second phase of the initiative, the national river conservation plan was launched.
Yamuna, Mahananda, Gomti, and Damodar were among the Ganga’s tributaries.
The Ganga is India’s national river, and there is a national mission to clean it up
The National Ganga River Basin Authority’s implementation arm is the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) (NGRBA). The NMCG has two levels: the Governing Council and the Executive Committee.
In 2016, the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) was disbanded, and the National Council for the Rejuvenation, Protection, and Management of the River Ganga (referred to as the National Ganga Council) was established.
The National Marine Conservation Group works on pollution reduction strategies such as intercepting, diverting, and treating wastewater that flows through open drains. Its goal is to reduce pollution by using bioremediation, appropriate in-situ treatment, cutting-edge technology, sewage treatment plants (STP), and effluent treatment facilities (ETP).
Current Status
The river is still clogged with sewage and industrial garbage. Tanneries, sugar mills, distilleries, pulp and paper mills are the most harmful industries. It’s especially challenging to keep pollution levels low throughout the summer. The Narendra Modi government has formed a committee to recommend measures to keep power projects running smoothly while also maintaining ecological balance. “The Ganga has religious and economic activity inherently linked to it,” says Anil Joshi, founder and chairman of the Himalayan Environment Studies and Conservation Organisation. While pollution has had little effect on devotees’ devotion, it has had an impact on economic activity, such as farming.”
Conclusion
On November 4, 2008, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh named the Ganga River, also known as the Ganges River, as India’s National River. It has been a part of India’s National Symbols since then. In 2008, the Indian Prime Minister named Ganga the National River in order to meet the goals of the Ganga Action Plan (GAP). Ganga is also known as India’s holiest river, symbolising purity and spirituality.
