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The Ganga River Basin The Ganga basin covers over 12,500 sq.
kilometers in northern India and ranks among the largest in the world in
drainage basin area and length. Flowing across the great alluvial Indo-
Gangetic plains, the Ganga is bordered by the Himalayas to the north
and the Vindhya-Satpura ranges to the south. The river has two main
headwaters in the Himalayas--the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda and
others for each of its other tributaries. The Bhagirathi flows from the
Gangotri glacier at Gomukh and the latter from a glacier near Alkapuri.
Farther downstream, the river is joined by a number of other Himalayan
rivers, the Yamuna, Ghaghara, Gomti, Gandak and Kosi. However, the
Ganga and its major tributaries, the Yamuna, Ram Ganga, and
Ghaghara are the only Himalayan rivers that have significant base and
flood flows.

According to scientific theory, the level of pollution in a river depends

upon the concentration of pollutants and the discharge of the river. Both
concentration and discharge are affected by hydrologic,
geomorphologic, topographic and cultural factors. The rivers of the
Ganga basin drain the southern slopes of the Great Himalaya and carry
one of the largest sediment loads on earth. Deglaciation at the
headwaters of tributaries that form the Ganga, human-instigated forms
of erosion such as tree felling, farming, and construction of settlements
all contribute to the river's discharge and concentrations of pollution.

At Haridwar, where the plains

meet the foothills of the
Himalayas, a significant portion of
the main stream of the Ganga is
diverted into the Upper Ganga
Canal. This is an irrigation
channel that feeds the alluvial
tract lying between the Ganga
and Yamuna rivers. The Upper
Ganga Canal flows into the
Lower Ganga Canal near Aligarh
and flows to Kanpur before
returning to the parent stream. Scientists argue that the reach of the
river from Kannauj to Allahabad is particularly vulnerable to human
induced pollution. Beyond this reach, the Ganga gains additional waters
from the Yamuna river at Allahabad and from the Ghaghra, Kosi and
Gandak rivers farther downstream.
Today, over 45 million people reside in the Ganga basin. The Ganga
passes alongside 29 cities with populations above 100,000, 23 cities
with populations between 50,000 and 100,000, and 48 towns less than
50,000. The Central Pollution Control Board estimates that the main
sources of pollution along the reach of the river are urban liquid waste
(sewage/sullage), industrial liquid waste, large scale bathing of cattle,
throwing of dead bodies in the river, surface run-off from solid waste
landfills and dumpsites, and surface runoff from industrial solid waste
landfills or dumpsites. The Central Pollution Control Board reports that
three-fourths of the pollution of the river comes from the discharge of
untreated municipal sewage, of which 88% is created in Class-I cities
(cities with populations above 100,000). Without more specific data on
discharge amounts, however, the Central Pollution Control Board can
only provide estimates that are tallied from the estimates of wastewater
flows generated in each of the cities through
which the Ganga passes.

Industrial wastewater is discharged by a

number of industries situated in this riparian
zone. In 1995, the Central Pollution Control
Board listed 191 grossly polluting industries in
the state of Uttar Pradesh, 6 in the state of
Bihar, and 67 in the state of West Bengal.
These industries were discharging toxic
substances into effluent flows with BOD
concentrations of more than 100 mg per liter
and each unit was generating over one million
liters of wastewater per day. The industries
represented in this river basin are sugar and paper mills, cloth, woolen,
cotton and rayon mills, tanneries, ordinance factories, battery industries,
thermal power houses, chemical plants, metal and steel factories,
distilleries, and fertiliser corporations. Heavy metals such as cadmium,
zinc, nickel, lead, chromium and copper are concentrated in the river
water and the sediments. The Central Pollution Control Board reports
high levels of zinc and nickel in the sediment of the Yamuna river
downstream from the capital city of Delhi.

The Ganga river basin is fed by many tributaries that drain the
Himalayas and the Vindhya Satpura ranges. These paths of drainage
also carry run-off from point and nonpoint sources of pollution and from
agricultural fields, making the river a receptacle for the flow of many
different liquid and solid elements. This drainage gives Ganga power
pollution and power. She gains toxins and bacteria harmful to humans
but also takes in the discharge. Generally, scientists cite the loss of
discharge as the more serious factor contributing to the rise in levels of
pollution since without adequate flow, toxins and bacteria cannot be
flushed and degraded.

The Ganga basin is the cradle of Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage culture.
Some of the most important centers of spiritual learning and healing
have thrived for centuries along her banks and those of her tributaries.
At the headwaters of the Ganga in the Himalayas, sacred shrines at
Tapavan, Gomukh, Bhojbasa, and Gangotri mark the sources of her
power. The shrines of Kedarnath and Badrinath also celebrate their
position in the upper reaches of the watershed. Farther downstream in
the Himalayas are Uttarkashi and Rishikesh and along the plains lie
Haridwar, Allahabad (Prayag), Banaras, Vindhyachal, Nadia and
Kalighat. Along the river Yamuna, we find the sacred complexes of
Mathura and Vrindavan and inland within the Ganga basin, the Hindu
center of Vindyachal and the Buddhist sites of Gaya, Rajgir and
Nalanda. In these pilgrimage centers and in countless other smaller
sacred spots along her great traverse, pilgrims worship the Ganga and
carry away her pure water for worship and purification.






The Ganga river and its tributaries drain more than one million sq. km of China,
Nepal, India and Bangladesh. The Ganga basin in India, which includes the Yamuna
sub-basin, covers over 861,000 sg. km in northern India or one fourth of India's
geographical area (Das Gupta 1984:5). The Ganga river begins at the confluence of
the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda, located within the Himalayan foothills of northern
India. The Bhagirathi flows from the Gangotri glacier at Gomukh and the latter from a
glacier near Alkapuri. Flowing across the great alluvial Indo -Gangetic plains, the
Ganga is bordered by the Himalayas to the north and the Vindhya -Satpura ranges to
the south.

The mainstem that carries the name Ganga is entirely within India and this channel
and its water are what are most sacred to Hindus. Along the river's traverse, large
tributaries enter the Ganga and significantly increase its flow and change its
character. The Ganga is joined by the Ram Gan ga, Yamuna, Ghaghara, Gomti,
Gandak and Kosi tributaries. However, the major tributaries, the Ram Ganga,
Yamuna and Ghaghara are the only Himalayan rivers that have significant base and
flood flows. Water also comes from snowmelt and from monsoon season ra infall.
The rivers of the Ganga basin carry one of the largest sediment loads in the world.
Today sediment loads in the Ganga are higher than in the past due to the complete
deforestation of the Gangetic plains and the ongoing deforestation of the Himalaya n
foothills.

The river is dewatered at several sites.

The most upstream site is located at
Haridwar, where the plains meet the
foothills of the Himalayas. At Haridwar,
a significant portion of the main stream
is diverted into the Upper Ganga
Canal. This is an irrigation channel that
feeds the alluvial tract lying between
the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. The
long canal system through the Doab
has two names. The upstream part is
referred to as the Upper Ganga Canal.
The downstream section, starting at
Aligarh, is the Lower Ganga Canal. At
Kanpur, the irrigation return flow reenters the parent stream. Scientists argue that the
reach of the river from Kannauj to Allahabad is particularly vulnerable to human
induced pollution because significant dewatering has occu rred upstream. Beyond
this reach, the Ganga gains stream flow from the Yamuna river at Allahabad and
from the Ghaghra, Kosi and Gandak rivers farther downstream.

The level of pollution in the river depends upon the concentraion of pollutants and
the discharge of the river. Both concentration and discharge are affected by
hydrological, geomorphologic, topographic and cultural factors. Today, over 45
million people reside in the Ganga basin. The Ganga passes alongside 29 cities with
populations above 100,000 , 23 cities with populations between 50,000 and 100,000,
and 48 towns less than 50,000. The Central Pollution Control Board estimates that
the main sources of pollution along the reach of the river are urban liquid waste
(sewage/sullage), industrial liquid waste, large scale bathing of cattle, throwing of
dead bodies in the river, surface run -off from solid waste landfills and dumpsites, and
surface runoff from industrial solid waste landfills or dumpsites. The Central Pollution
Control Board reports that t hree-fourths of the pollution of the river comes from the
discharge of untreated municipal sewage, of which 88% is created in Class -I cities
(cities with populations above 100,000). Without more specific data on discharge
amounts, however, the Central Poll ution Control Board can only provide estimates
that are tallied from the estimates of wastewater flows generated in each of the cities
through which the Ganga passes. Generally,
scientists cite the loss of discharge as the more
serious factor contributing to the rise in levels of
pollution since without adequate flow, toxins and
bacteria cannot be flushed and degraded.

Industrial wastewater is discharged by a number of

industries situated in this riparian zone. In 1995, the
Central Pollution Control Board listed 191 grossly
polluting industries in the state of Uttar Pradesh, 6 in
the state of Bihar, and 67 in the state of West Bengal. These industries were
discharging toxic substances into effluent flows with BOD concentrations of more
than 100 mg per lite r and each unit was generating over one million liters of
wastewater per day. The industries represented in this river basin are sugar and
paper mills, cloth, woolen, cotton and rayon mills, tanneries, ordinance factories,
battery industries, thermal power houses, chemical plants, metal and steel factories,
distilleries, and fertiliser corporations. Heavy metals such as cadmium, zinc, nickel,
lead, chromium and copper are concentrated in the river water and the sediments.
The Central Pollution Control Board reports high levels of zinc and nickel in the
sediment of the Yamuna river downstream from the capitol city of Delhi.

The Ganga basin is the cradle of Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage culture. Some of the
most important centers of spiritual learning and hea ling have thrived for centuries
along her banks and those of her tributaries. At the headwaters of the Ganga in the
Himalayas, sacred shrines at Tapavan, Gomukh, Bhojbasa, and Gangotri mark the
sources of her power. The shrines of Kedarnath and Badrinath a lso celebrate their
position in the upper reaches of the watershed. Farther downstream in the
Himalayas are Uttarkashi and Rishikesh and along the plains lie Haridwar, Allahabad
(Prayag), Banaras, Vindhyachal, Nadia and Kalighat. Along the river Yamuna, we
find the sacred complexes of Mathura and Vrindavan and inland within the Ganga
basin, the Hindu center of Vindyachal and the Buddhist sites of Gaya, Rajgir and
Nalanda. In these pilgrimage centers and in countless other smaller sacred spots
along her great traverse, pilgrims worship the Ganga and carry away her pure water
for worship and purification.