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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.
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 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.
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.