Preview

Human Waste in Ganga

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
299 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Human Waste in Ganga
Human waste
The Ganges river basin is one of the most fertile and densely populated regions in the world and covers an area of 1,080,000 km2 (400,000 square miles). The river flows through 29 cities with population over 100,000; 23 cities with population between 50,000 and 100,000, and about 48 towns.[6] A large proportion of the waste in the Ganges is from this population through domestic usage like bathing, laundry and public defecation.
Industrial waste[edit]
Countless tanneries, chemical plants, textile mills, distilleries, slaughterhouses, and hospitals contribute to the pollution of the Ganges by dumping untreated waste into it.[7] Industrial effluents are about 12% of the total volume of effluent reaching the Ganges. Although a relatively low proportion, they are a cause for major concern because they are often toxic and non-biodegradable.[2]
Religious events[edit]
During festival seasons, over 70 million people bathe in the Ganges over a few weeks[8] to cleanse themselves from their sins. Some materials like food, waste or leaves are left in the Ganges for ritualistic reasons.[9]
Dams[edit]

Built in 1854 during the British colonization of India, the Haridwar dam has led to decay of the Ganges by greatly diminishing the flow of the river. The Farakka Barrage was built originally to divert fresh water into the Bhagirathi River but has since caused an increase of salinity in the Ganges, having a damaging effect on the ground water and soil along the river.[6] The barrage has caused major tension between Bangladesh and India. The government of India has planned about 300 dams on the Ganges and its tributaries in the near future despite a government-commissioned green panel report that has recommended scrapping 34 of the dams citing environmental

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    River basins need to be managed to resolve the two major issues which result from their development which include high flood risk and the conflict caused. The development of river basins such as the River Colorado, USA (an HIC) has led to unequal water distribution and many environmental problems downstream due to lack of scientific knowledge, which has caused conflict in the 7 states the river cater too. Urbanisation in the river basin in Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries in the world, has increased the flood risk enormously and has meant that the local people have to learn to diversify their livelihoods in order to survive.…

    • 1319 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bathing in the Ganges is a religious tradition that is an integral part of daily life in India. It represents a purification of the soul, as Stille states, “…[A] river that, because of its divine origin, is pure and purifies all those faithful who immerse themselves in her,” (598). However, presently, there exists a dilemma that threatens the survival of this tradition: the poor condition of the river. The river is polluted with “raw sewage, human and industrial waste, the charred remains of bodies, and animal carcasses” (598). In the Ganges’ Next Life, Alexander Stille contrasts traditional and modern values. Traditional Hindu values, yet somewhat primitive, reflect thousands of years of experience and practice. Modern values, on the other hand, are adapted to contemporary practices and focus on immediate needs. As a result, religious and ethical conflicts arise when compromising between preserving rich cultural traditions and ensuring environmental safety.…

    • 879 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Population in Mexico City

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages

    pollution which is one of the most dangerous problem and health hazard presently facing the…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    India Water Pollution

    • 273 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Studies found that sewage waste is the main cause of water pollution in India. The problem is caused by the poor treatment of dumping sewage and the failure to maintain sewage treatment plants. The Central Pollution Control Board, a company that monitors environmental issues in India, has created the National Water Quality Monitoring Network, which monitors the quality of waters all year. The network monitors waters all over India. Samples of water are taken frequently and checked for bacteria and other harmful substances within the water. Other ways of sewage treatment include air flotation, dual media filter, activated carbon filter, sand filtration and sludge drying beds. These methods all take place in sewage treatment plants. Water treatment plants are very expensive and are needed to be maintained constantly. Removal of sludge is said to be the most untreated area of water treatment. This is because of the poor design and poor maintenance of the sludge treatments. India has set policies to control sewage pollution in water. the Ministry of Environment and Forests has created financial and technical support systems to promote the proper treatment of water. The problem with India’s water treatment is that the government is not putting enough effort into making the water usable for its citizens. The government should promote the health hazards and future issues of water pollution so the citizens can learn to treat their water better. Informing citizens is also a way of treatment because people will be aware of the issues water pollution will cause for them and therefore they will take action.…

    • 273 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    every kind of pollutant yet cleanses the souls who wash in her” (Robson 39). The Ganges is “...also the place where the cremated remains of the dead come to rest … to be returned to Heaven by Mother Ganga” (Robson 39). The Ganga river in which people immerse themselves in hopes of washing away their impurities resembles that of a baptism. I was brought up as a one of Jehovah’s witnesses and recognize baptism as a similar ritual to the bathing in the Ganges river. Just as there are thousands of people bathing along the Ganges there are thousands of people getting baptized every year taking place within an assembly or convention of Jehovah's witnesses. A baptism occurs in pool, smaller in size than the river, but same idea. The difference between bathing in Ganga and baptism is that baptism does not cleanse us from sin, but symbolizes a person's dying of his past course of life and beginning of a new one. Similar to the cremated remains of the dead being scattered along the Ganges for rest and hope for return to Heaven Jehovah’s witnesses when immersed in water, means that you have died, or abandoned your former way of life. When you come out of the water, you will begin a new life doing God’s…

    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dams of India

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Dams of India have been built across many perennial rivers since the independence of India. These dams in India are a part of several multi-purpose projects to serve a variety of needs. In a multi-purpose project, a river forms a unit and a river valley is developed, by exploiting all the resources of the river. Basically, dams are built to harness the river water so that it can be utilised according to the needs. A multipurpose project is launched often for storing water for irrigation purposes, generating hydro-electricity by utilising the water stored by the dams, preventing floods and facilitating afforestation in the catchments areas of the reservoirs. Moreover, the dams also provide drinking water, using the canals for navigation in some areas and also facilitating pisciculture and recreational activities. The main multipurpose projects constituting Indian dams are the Hirakud Dam in Orissa, the Bhakra-Nangal Project in Punjab, the Damodar Valley Project in Bihar and West Bengal, the Tungabhadra Project in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, the Rihand Project in Uttar Pradesh.…

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many large dams have brought significant social and economic benefits. For example, Egypt's Aswan High Dam, built in the 1960s, has protected the nation from drought and floods and supplies water used to irrigate some 15 million hectares. However, dams can also have great negative impacts. Because sediment is trapped by the Aswan High Dam, nutrients are no longer delivered in large quantities to the Nile floodplain. This has reduced soil fertility and increased the need for fertilizer.…

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sangeet

    • 340 Words
    • 2 Pages

    GANGA ACTION PLANThe Ganga action plan was, launched by Shri Rajeev Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India on 14 Jan. 1986 with the main objective of pollution abatement, to improve the water quality by Interception, Diversion and treatment of domestic sewage and present toxic and industrial chemical wastes from identified grossly polluting units entering in to the river. The other objectives of the Ganga Action Plan are as under. Control of non-point pollution from agricultural run off, human defecation, cattle wallowing and throwing of unburnt and half burnt bodies into the river .Research and Development to conserve the biotic, diversity of the river to augment its productivity. The ultimate objective of the GAP is to have an approach of integrated river basin management considering the various dynamic inter-actions between abiotic and biotic eco-system. First phase of GAP it has generated considerable interest and set the scene for evolving a national approach towards replicating this program for the other polluted rivers of the country. * New technology of sewage treatment like Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) and sewage treatment through afforestation has been successfully developed. * Rehabilitation of soft-shelled turtles for pollution abatement of river have been demonstrated and found useful. * Resource recovery options like production of methane for energy generation and use of aquaculture for revenue generation have been demonstrated. * To act as trend setter for taking up similar action plans in other grossly polluted stretches in other rivers.Notwithstanding some delay in the completion of the The Government of India proposed to extend this model with suitable modifications to the national level through a National River Action Plan (NRAP). The NRAP mainly draws upon the lessons learnt and the experience gained from the GAP besides seeking the views of the State Governments and the other concerned Departments/Agencies.Under NRCP…

    • 340 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    At Haridwar I went to the bank of River Ganga in the morning and it was very pleasant to see hundreds of men and women bathing in the stream of Ganga and then offering prayers in the different temples of its “Ghats”.…

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    BHOPAL GAS DIASTER

    • 9274 Words
    • 38 Pages

    Jump up ^ Chander, J. (2001). "Water contamination: a legacy of the union carbide disaster in Bhopal, India". Int J Occup Environ Health 7 (1): 72–3. PMID 11210017.…

    • 9274 Words
    • 38 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    First, too focus on profit making in produce product in manufacturing industries are one of main reason why our environment are polluted. Many manufacturing companies nowadays too focus having profit maximization without concern on the side effect of their product to environment. To maximize profit they need to reduce cost of making the product thus many of them using cheap cost raw material that are usually bring harm to environment for example most of paper companies use chlorine to bleach the pulp because it cheaper and the chlorine waste was discharged to the river and lake causing death to all living organism and pollute the river. Moreover, agriculture industries also the main reason why the river and lake nowadays are polluted because the farmer using a lot of chemical and harmful poison in farming to ensure their crops are free from insect and bird thus maximize their profit in harvesting.…

    • 631 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Environmental Assignment

    • 3266 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The Citarum River Basin in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia has a length of about 350 km, covering an area of approximately 13,000 square kilometers is coming into contact with a population of approximately 10 million people living in urban and rural areas. This river has provides as much as 80% of surface water to Jakarta’s water supply authority, irrigates farms that supply 5% of Indonesia’s rice, tourism sector, and is a source of water for upwards of 2,000 industrial factories. It has been known for more than a decade that the water of all three reservoirs is polluted by inflows of domestic sewage, industrial and agricultural wastes. In addition, considerable organic pollution comes from fish farming in the reservoirs. The impact of pollutants, namely, change the acidity of the water, organic contaminants increase the BOD, COD, kill the organism, disrupt physiological or metabolic processes, or damage the organs of animals, threatening human health. A number of pollutants exceed the limits of the official water quality regulation standards of the government of Indonesia, particularly dissolved oxygen, zinc and iron.…

    • 3266 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Holy River Ganges

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Ganges was ranked among the five most polluted rivers of the world in 2007,[10] with fecal coliform levels in the river near Varanasi more than one hundred times the official Indian government limits.[11] Pollution threatens not only humans, but also more than 140 fish species, 90 amphibian species and the endangered Ganges river dolphin.[10] The Ganga Action Plan, an environmental initiative to clean up the river, has been a major failure thus far,[12][13][14] due to corruption and lack of technical expertise,[15] lack of good environmental planning,[16] and lack of support from religious authorities.…

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ganga

    • 251 Words
    • 2 Pages

    As the rivers of the Ganga basin leave the steep topography of the Himalaya and enter the hill country to the south, they flow through the first of many cities spread along their courses. Cities such as Kathmandu, Nepal, along the tributary Bishnumati River, release a variety of contaminants into the rivers, and water quality deteriorates rapidly downstream. Organic pollution comes from the tens of thousands of bodies cremated on the Ganga itself, as well as human and animal wastes. More dangerous and persistent chemical contaminants released by the hundreds of factories along the Ganga and its tributaries include mercury, highly toxic heavy metals such as lead and copper, and various synthetic chemicals. Crop lands leak pesticides and excess fertilizers into the…

    • 251 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Water Pollution

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages

    At this time, we don’t know that the water which we drink clean or contain pollutants because the clean water is seldom to find. There are many cause of water pollution but there are three cause of water pollution that we well-known. The water pollution occurs because of industrial waste, fertilizer and pesticide, and household waste. The farmers usually use most of pesticide and fertilizer to increase their quality of product. “The competitive international market forces small scale farmers to use more fertilizers and pesticides to remain competitive and maximize the productivity of their land” (Kraemer, R. Andreas, Keya Choudhury, and Eleftheria Kampa, 2001). If we see, hear and watch at this time, some areas of big city give a lot of poison and pollutants to water. “In the year 1999 the amount of buildings that is constructed on the river bed has increased approximately 38% compared to the situation in the year 1996. The increasing numbers is an indication of the raising level of pollution from household wastes into the river” (Tejalaksana, Aksa, 2004). The water pollution occurs because companies membuang industrial waste in water. “Regarding the industry sector, an increase in economic growth of trans-national companies can lead to an increase in the production of substances hazardous to water resources” (Kraemer, R. Andreas, Keya Choudhury, and…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays