Ria Nuna - Pollution in the Ganges River

March 07, 2019

Pollution in the Ganges River

The Ganges River, considered holy by a majority of Indians, flows from the western Himalayas down to the Bay of Bengal. It passes through crowded cities and some of the most populated areas in the world. The west bank, in particular, lies in Varanasi, the religious capital of India and Hinduism. Varanasi is India's oldest city and is thought to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Several Hindus aspire to die here and have their ashes spread in the Ganges. The irony of this seemingly holy, sacred site is that it is also one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Pollution, untreated sewage and use by hundreds of people transform it into toxic sludge by the time it reaches the sea.

Because of India's loose environmental regulations, industries along the river are able to release chemicals and other poisonous material into the Ganges. In addition, fertilizers from fields find their way into the groundwater and ultimately flow into the river. Altogether, the amount of industrial pollution has doubled in the past 20 years.

The vast pollution in the Ganges also puts the present life in the river at risk. Recent reports have shown that there is a high level of mercury in some fish. These toxic chemicals often stem from India's most unregulated industries, such as its vast amount of illegal slaughterhouses that export cow meat under the guise of buffalo meat to hide the sacrilege. There are 700 tanneries on the banks of the Ganges, many pumping dangerous levels of sulfuric acid, chromium, arsenic, and mercury into the river. River organisms then uptake these toxins, thus creating greater risks for the ecosystem. Additionally, the construction of dams along the river is destroying forests and vegetation, killing off many animals and plants. Overall, the pollution negatively impacts both the life inside the river and the life surrounding it.

This widespread pollution in the Ganges has also led to major health problems. Many diseases are common, including cholera, hepatitis, and malaria. Pollution has made stagnant many once free-flowing areas of the Ganges. Stagnation allows mosquitoes to thrive, thus giving rise to the deadliest form of malaria: Plasmodium falciparum. If India is not able to get the rise of this disease under control, the wellbeing of the 500+ million citizens that depend on the Ganges for life itself may be at risk.

What are your thoughts on the overwhelming pollution in the Ganges?

What do you think are some ways this crisis could be resolved?

Can you think of ways to raise awareness about the urgency of the situation?

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-ganges/saving-a-river-pollution-in-indias-holy-ganges-makes-it-toxic-idUSKCN1PC0CT

https://www.english-online.at/news-articles/environment/ganges-river-pollution.htm

https://www.newsweek.com/2015/10/02/ganges-river-dying-under-weight-modern-india-375347.html

https://www.gangaaction.org/actions/issues/

https://www.ukessays.com/essays/environmental-sciences/environmental-issues-of-ganga-river-environmental-sciences-essay.php

Comments

Anonymous said…

Culturally and practically, the Ganges River is one of the most important rivers in the world. I was aware that the Ganges was polluted, like most other rivers in India, but I was ignorant to the extent of the pollution in the Ganges. After reading your post, I looked up “most polluted rivers in the world” on Google, and I found that most sources ranked the Ganges in the Top 10, if not Top 5. The Ganges, and most of the other heavily polluted rivers, are all major rivers, thousands of miles long, and have hundreds of millions of humans and countless animals and plants dependent on it for life. Leaving all of these major rivers, including the Ganges, in their current state only spells doom for many of the living things that depend on the river. So, I believe it is imperative that some sort of cleanup mission be started immediately.

March 8, 2019 at 7:04 AM

Anonymous said…

This was a great post! Currently, several sewage systems throughout India drain into the Ganges, polluting the holy river even more. Many cities each with thousands to millions of inhabitants do not have proper ways to dispose of garbage, which ultimately leaves no option but for the garbage to flow into the river. Activists want to see comprehensive legislation passed to ensure the health of river is a priority for the Indian government. Many inhabitants are also simply unaware of the detrimental pollution occuring, so mass awareness through the media and beyond is necessary.

March 8, 2019 at 11:46 AM

Anonymous said…

I've heard from my friends in the passing about the pollution of the Ganges River, but I never realized how big of a problem it was. By polluting the river, people are introducing toxins into not only the ecosystem, but also their diet. By essentially poisoning the river, people are poisoning themselves. Not only that, the pollution poses a plethora of problems that could lead to more diseases. If the people, whether it is for cultural or health concerns, were to take action and clean the river before the issue becomes irreversible, they can improve their quality of living. The first step to change is awareness, and posts like this bring light to serious problems that need to be addressed.

March 12, 2019 at 9:09 PM

Anonymous said…

It is incredible that such a sacred and important river is polluted to such a severe extent; of course, I had heard of the pollution in the Ganges, but I didn’t realize the severity of the problem. To begin to resolve this crisis, I believe that the Indian government needs to lead an thorough clean up effort; if not, the consequences of a polluted Ganges could not only worsen existing environmental issues, but cause a humanitarian disaster of unimaginable proportions. Moreover, industries need to be better regulated — in terms of environmental practices —in order to prevent worsening the crisis.

March 13, 2019 at 8:44 PM

Anonymous said…

Wow, the extent of the pollution in the Ganges River is shockingly difficult to comprehend. I can’t imagine that such a holy and sacred symbol can be so mistreated and contaminated by industrial runoff. I think that the government in India needs to immediately address this issue by organizing clean up efforts to eliminate the current debris in the Ganges River. Additionally, the government needs to tighten existing environmental regulations and prevent industries from freely dumping their harmful waste outputs into environmentally unsustainable and sacred sites.

March 14, 2019 at 1:08 AM

Anonymous said…

I have heard through my parents about the treacherous pollution In the Ganges River. It is heartbreaking to know the amount of pollutions in the river. I believe there are several ways to diminish this crisis. One way is to create more laws. The Indian government should regulate the amount of pollution a factory can create in a certain period f time. Another way is for the Indian government to help with the clean up efforts that is needed throughout the country. With these simple rules and regulations the Ganges River could be less polluted in no time.

March 17, 2019 at 2:02 PM

Anonymous said…

Sadly, I feel a majority of us have little power over the clean-up or recovery of the Ganges River due to it existing on distant land, and based on what was stated in your blog itself is a very complex and intricate problem. Already in the US we have problems enforcing regulations on illegal dumpings and water pollution, so just imagine how complicated it must be in India. They would have to regulate businesses that are technically not supposed to exist in the first place, spend millions if not billions into enforcing those regulations, and would have to spend even more money to clean up the waste left behind. However, I feel the cultural significance of the river could also be a beacon to hope, and if Indian citizens catch wind if these very real threats they could push for change themselves.

March 18, 2019 at 9:17 AM

Anonymous said…

This is an interesting yet disheartening post. As a very important river for more than just religious purposes, one would think that India would do its best to keep the Ganges in the best functioning condition. This is yet another example of the greed and ignorance of humankind. Because the immediate economic gains seem to surpass the benefits of a clean river, the effects on India may be fatal in the future. Instead of looking at the restoration and regulation of the river as a burden and look at it as an investment into the future, the importance of a clean river becomes more evident.

March 18, 2019 at 10:09 AM

Anonymous said…

Growing up, I have heard so much about the Ganges River and the journeys people go through to go to this mass river. However, the Ganges River is the fifth most polluted river in the world. This pollution hurts more than 90 amphibians and 140 fish species. The pollution has reached a point of endangering the sharks and dolphins that reside nearby. There needs to be action done to help reduce pollution in the Ganges River in order to help future generations and the environment.

March 18, 2019 at 11:46 AM

Anonymous said…

The Ganges River is clearly being degraded by human activity, however, India has taken some action to solve this pollution. I looked further into actions taken by the Indian government and found that India has in fact been trying to clean up the Ganges river for nearly thirty years. Official estimates of the amount of money put in by the government to clean the river range from 600 million dollars to 3 billion dollars. However, the major downfall of these attempts was the corruption that plagues the government. India can not solve this problem until it stabilizes its own internal government and works collectively to solve this growing issue.

March 18, 2019 at 6:36 PM

Anonymous said…

It was saddening to learn that a river so culturally significant to so many could also become extremely polluted and slowly less cared for. I did some research, and I found out that in a lot of towns that are near the Ganges, people do not have proper means of disposing garbage, so they take their garbage to a dump site, where it later washes into the Ganges. The first step to cleaning up the Ganges would be to raise awareness about the issue. From there, we could attempt to implement more accessible waste cleanup mechanisms, in the hopes that we can save the sacred river for future generations.

March 18, 2019 at 7:55 PM

Anonymous said…

This was a very informative blog post. I think an effective way of turning the situation in the Ganges river around is to implement & enforce strict environmental regulations. There should also be a system in place to effectively collect garbage and other waste products so it does not end up in the river. I think sufficient investment in infrastructure and education, along with intense clean-up efforts could return the Ganges river to its former glory.

March 18, 2019 at 10:46 PM

Anonymous said…

The wild population growth (and just the sheer amount of people) around the Ganges river is just crazy. Between people dumping their trash to companies dropping chemicals, there needs to be a change made. I wonder, why is it that there is little to no environmental regulation preventing this mass contamination of this river. Furthermore, I wonder what kind of community mobilization would be necessary for the picking up of the trash that is already there.
Good blog post.

March 19, 2019 at 6:23 AM

Anonymous said…

Overtime, we as a collective group have slowly become insensitive to recurring problems such as pollutions in rivers or bodies of water. Humans have stayed dull and uncaring to some of the problems that started since the beginning of human civilization. With the mentioning of the Ganges river, the cause of such pollution revolved around overpopulation of an area or contamination due to other types of pollution. What we need is a strict rule, similar to what is set for land-use garbages, to control the flowing in and flowing out, which will likely promote a better environment for individuals and companies as a whole.

March 19, 2019 at 6:26 AM

Anonymous said…

I’m not sure when I had learned about this before, but I remember hearing about how bad pollution was in India. With the Ganges river, on how important it is physically and culturally, you would think that the Indian government would want to sustain its river. How could they ignore these problems? Regardless, if they do not care about it, it is up to the people to take it upon themselves to restore the river not just for themselves, but the marine life and future generations to use it for its cultural use.

March 19, 2019 at 6:35 AM

Anonymous said…

Due to the cultural, religious, and enviornmental importance of the Ganges, this blog post highlights how important clean up efforts truly are. When doing some research about what is currently done to clean up the Ganges, I found that Environmental experts point out that while addressing the pollution of the Ganges is important, focusing on pollutants alone is not the only solution. Attention must be paid to increasing the water flow in the Ganges. This can be done by de-siltation, removing all mid-stream constructions, and halting construction activity along the river’s banks.

March 19, 2019 at 8:23 AM

Anonymous said…

Because the Ganges river is one of India's largest and most important sources of water, it is vital that the health and use of the water is carefully monitored to ensure cleanliness and keep the water viable for use. India has a large pollution and trash problem, so simply implementing a program to increase the number of trash cans on the streets, hopefully especially near the Ganges river, can help to reduce loose trash. Spreading awareness is half the battle in attempting to solve any problem, so using social media to talk about that subject can help introduce more people to this problem and increase the support for its solution.

March 19, 2019 at 9:20 AM

Anonymous said…

From my many travels to India, I have seen the Ganges River many times, and I was simply horrified by the environmental disaster and destruction I saw there. However, even in such a dirty and polluted river, kids were jumping and swimming and showering in the river, and this is due to the lack of adequate water in India. The Ganges is a huge source of water in India, but at the same time, it is not healthy. The prosperity and cleanliness of the river needs to be increased in order to help the Indian population. People simply drive by and throw their trash into the river. Moreover, ashes form dead bodies are dropped in as well, and change needs to be implemented to keep his holy river in India pristine.

March 19, 2019 at 10:37 AM

Anonymous said…

It hurts my heart that a location that is so sacred to the people of India is that polluted. Not only is it unsightly, but the pollutants affect the air quality and overall lifestyle in the surrounding area for sure. I had no prior knowledge about the Ganges River or its current state, but I assume that it has become this messy due to a common lack of care for the river by visitors and citizens of India alike. If they want any change, it will require further collaboration between the Indian government and their people to establish both a clean up plan and greater waste regulations around the area to avoid this in the future.

March 19, 2019 at 11:41 AM

Anonymous said…

The Ganges River is the most vital body of water for North India, as it provides a massive drainage and irrigation system--bringing new soil for fields and feeding hundreds of millions of people. Its significant importance is widely overlooked not just internationally but within India itself; the primary reason pollution is so rampant is due to overpopulation. Digging deeper, however, the Indian government’s policy implementations have failed to curtail the massive pollution. Outdated dams, infrastructure systems, and a lack of real anti-pollution laws and institutions have proven devastating. In an electoral democracy as large as India, the only way to fix this issue is if politicians in New Delhi take leadership. But given the corruption and greed of Indian politicians, these won't become a reality. An international body must therefore intervene to fix this pressing issue.

March 19, 2019 at 3:02 PM

Anonymous said…

As many other comments, I strongly agree that then government should step in to do something about this situation! To think that a culturally sacred river is being so polluted enough to bring so many issues upon their enviroment and most importantly millions of people surrounding that area is sad to think about. Moreover, along with the governments involvement I believe that many need to change their mindsets of just dumping things and thing about being more enviromentally friendly by recycling, or others.

March 20, 2019 at 6:40 AM

Anonymous said…

I didn’t realize that the pollution of the Ganges River or rivers in general had such a large impact. The runoff of toxins into the river not only introduces toxins into the river system but also into the diet of the fish and organisms living in the river. Fishing introduces the toxins into the people that eat the fish. The environmental impact of introducing toxins into the river literally is detrimental to, not only the health of the environment, but also the health of humans. We need to be aware of the waste we’re producing and the proper way to dispose of the waste, as to not contribute to the pollution the environment.

March 20, 2019 at 10:23 AM

Cathy Kim said…

Wow I really enjoyed reading your post! I believe that due to the lack of education and awareness of the toxins going into the river system, the issue is ongoing and becoming a much larger problem to not only the aquatic life that resides in the river's waters, but ultimately to humans. As other classmates have mentioned, I strongly agree that there should be government intervention to address the problem and provide ways to stop and prevent further toxins from entering the systems and finds alternate ways to dispose of the waste.

March 20, 2019 at 8:21 PM

Anonymous said…

This is a very interesting post! I do also agree with my classmates’ belief that government intervention, a spread of awareness and education are absolutely vital methods to tackle the cleanup of this holy, cultural river. I knew about the horrifying existence of pollution and toxins in the Ganges River, but I did not consider the negative consequences on human health. Government intervention towards fixing the lax environmental regulations in India would contribute to the work towards reducing the presence of toxic chemicals in this important water source. Governmental actions should also include addressing the unregulated industries, such as the illegal slaughterhouses that export cow meat, as you’ve mentioned. I personally believe that education will serve to change and improve lifestyle choices as more people will be aware of their waste production and proper waste disposal.

March 21, 2019 at 12:12 PM

Anonymous said…

Hearing about the massive amounts of pollution in the Ganges river is definitely concerning; not only are the ecosystems the river supports being degraded, the health and safety of those who live near and off of the river is, too. There needs to be government action to address this issue, as the issue seems to be spawned from the lack of economic policy. The efforts to clean up the Ganges River should be divided into two parts: physical effort and policy changes. There needs to be clean-up efforts made to physically remove the pollution and trash from the river to make an immediate impact. Then, in order to ensure that no further pollution is contributed, the government needs to create policies that regulate the waste production and disposal from industries. Only a combination of long-term and short-term efforts will effectively reduce pollution, and by extent environmental and health degradation.

March 21, 2019 at 7:15 PM

Anonymous said…

This was a really interesting and informational post! I always knew that the Ganges River was a very important river in India culturally and historically. By polluting the water, people are not only damaging the water but they are also harming the ecosystems in which the organisms in the river live. I feel like in order to reduce this issue the chemical runoff must be regulated and throwing garbage into the river should be warned against. The Ganges River is a very holy symbol in India and it should be seen and treated that way.

March 21, 2019 at 7:36 PM

Anonymous said…

The Ganges River is one of the most famous rivers in the world, for both its cultural value and its environmental problems. Many Indians view the Ganges as an important religious and holy symbol in the world, however, it’s become extremely polluted. Although I believe in the right for one to practice their religious beliefs freely, I also believe in environmental protection. The Ganges River, along with all the other rivers in the world, is extremely important for not only humans, but for all living organisms. If we allow the Ganges to get too polluted, we will ruin the ecosystem that lives in the river, and a water source for those who need it. There needs to be some level of intervention from India’s government in order to protect, help, and restore the Ganges River so it can last and be used for a long time.

March 21, 2019 at 7:38 PM

Anonymous said…

Before reading your blog, I had not know the extent to which some of the most major rivers in the world are polluted; I did a little research. The Yellow River in China, is paying the price of the booming industries in China’s economies. Like the Ganges, the Yellow River is listed as one of the most polluted rivers. There is a silver lining: the polluted river has sparked activism. Zhao Zhong, 25, came to Lanzhou as a college student and immediately became concerned about the pollution. Three years ago, he set up a nongovernmental organization called Green Camel Bell. His organization works in rural schools and communities, spreading the word about environmental protection. He continues today, spreading awareness and leading cleanup efforts.

March 21, 2019 at 7:50 PM

Anonymous said…

This was a very informative post. I knew how sacred the Ganges river is to Hindus and Indians but I was not aware how polluted it was. I think this issue is dangerous since it is hurting the ecosystems in the river and it is a health hazard for those who live near the river. I believe that the Indian government should place stricter environmental restrictions to clean the river and preserve this religious landmark.

March 21, 2019 at 8:13 PM

Anonymous said…

This river is incredibly important to the population in India, used for both important resources and as a revered cultural site. For this reason, the pollution in the river presents an incredibly important issue - it can easily lead to negative issues on human health as well as easily facilitate the spread of disease. Although the Indian government has taken measures to control the pollution, efforts have been futile, highlighting the need for a more aggressive approach to fix this problem.

April 2, 2019 at 11:17 AM

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