Ganga

Introduction :-

Rivers are very important for the survival of the people in any of the nations in the
world. They have been supporting and nourishing several civilizations in past as well as
present. India is a blessed land that is fed by several significant rivers. River Ganga is one
of the most famous and sacred rivers in India. This river has great spiritual importance in
Hindus and is considered a symbol of purity. In other words, we can say that river Ganga
is referred to as a precious river by Hindus. We will be discussing in detail the river
Ganga and several aspects related to this river in the long essay provided below.

River Ganga- Worshipped As Goddess in Hindus :-

River Ganga is a significant river for the people living in India. It is because the river flows
in different parts of the nation and is sustaining the life of millions of people residing
near the river bed. Jahnavi, Gange, Shubhra, Sapteshwari, Nikita, Alaknanda, etc are the
different names of the river Ganga but the official name of the river is Ganges. This
major river is designated as the Goddess and is worshipped by the Hindus in the entire
nation. River Ganga is regarded as the Goddess of purity and forgiveness. This is only the
reason that people consider that bathing in the holy water of River Ganga helps in
purifying an individual from all the sins. People majorly perform the ritual of bathing in
the river and then taking water in their hands and then leaving back into the river. They
do this in order to pay their tribute to their ancestors as well as to God.

The places like Sangam, Haridwar, and Varanasi are considered as famous pilgrimage
places for taking bath in the sacred water of the Ganga River. After bathing in the holy
water of River Ganga people also carry some river water in containers and that is called
‘Ganga Jal’. This water is considered auspicious and thus sprayed in every important
Hindu ritual. The ashes after cremation in Hinduism are also plunged in River Ganga as
this activity helps the dead ones in attaining moksha. There are many festivals like Ganga
Jayanti, Ganga Dussehra and dev Deepawali celebrated to pay homage to the River
Ganga. These festivals are celebrated in all the major cities that lie on the banks of the
river Ganga in India. People offer prayer on these occasions by lighting diyas and offering
flowers in the river water.

Appearance Of River Ganga- A fair beautiful woman sitting on a creature called Makara
as her vehicle is considered as the appearance of Goddess Ganga. There are many
stories related to the river Ganga in our ancient Vedas. The tales related to River Ganga
are also present in Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas. River Ganga is termed as the
sister of Goddess Parvati in the great epic Ramayana whereas in the epic Mahabharata
Ganga is termed as the mother of the great warrior Bhishma Pitamaha. In this way, there
are several tales prevalent about River Ganga that is also called 'Goddess Ganga'.

The Origin Of River Ganga :-

The river Ganga is said to have originated from the two major streams named Bhagirathi
and Alaknanda that meet in the Devprayag town that lies in the Garhwal district of
Uttrakhand state of India. According to Hindu mythology, the Gangotri glacier situated at
Gomukh is the inception source of River Ganga. This glacier is at an elevation of 4356
meters that is also regarded as the matted locks of Lord Shiva. Alaknanda, Dhauliganga,
Nandakini, Pindar, Mandakini, and Bhagirathi are stated as the sacred headstreams of
river Ganga. These five sacred headstreams of River Ganga meet to form Panch Prayag.
Further, the meeting of headstreams Bhagirathi and Alaknanda in Devprayag gives rise
to the Rives Ganges.

River Ganga receives its major water from the rain and snow and is thus called a rain and
snow-fed river. The longest river of India is 2525 km in length and the area of its basin is
1,016,124 square km. The average discharge rate of river Ganga at the Ganges delta is
18,691 cubic meters per second.

The Course Of River Ganga- The great river Ganga traces its course from the mountains
in Rishikesh after flowing through the narrow Himalayan valleys. The river then traces its
path through the Gangetic plains and flows in the broad plain area in the holy town of
Haridwar in the Uttrakhand state of India.  Further, this major river flows in different
parts of northern India. The river Ganga meets with another important river Yamuna in
the Prayagraj district of Uttar Pradesh state in India. This confluence of Ganga, Yamuna,
and Saraswati rivers is regarded as a sacred place in Prayagraj and given the name of
‘Sangam’. In this way, the river flows through several districts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Jharkhand states of India and finally becomes Hooghly River in the West Bengal state of
India.

The river Ganga after tracing its major course in different Indian states lastly merges into
the Bay of Bengal near Sagar Island. River Ganga also flows in Bangladesh that is a
neighbouring country of India. This river is known by the name Padma in the country
Bangladesh. The Ganges delta near the Bay of Bengal formed by the rivers namely
Ganga and Brahmaputra is regarded as the largest delta in the world. The area of this
world’s largest delta is 64,000 square km.

Important Tributaries Of River Ganga :-

River Ganga is stated as a major river flowing in India and Bangladesh countries of the
world. The flow of river is not only in one single direction but it bifurcates and flows in
different regions of India. There are several tributaries that form part of this major river
in India. Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandaki, Kosi, rivers forms the major left-bank tributaries of
the River Ganga. The important right-bank tributaries of River Ganga are Yamuna, Son,
Punpun, and Damodar rivers. River Ganga forms a large drainage basin that spreads in
four countries namely India, Nepal, China and Bangladesh. In India, the major river basin
of the Ganga River spreads in eleven states namely Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan,
West Bengal, and Delhi.

River Ganga- A Gift Of Nature To The People Of India :-

River Ganga is very beneficial to the people of India and majorly in the regions where
this great river traces its course. It is regarded as the national river of India because of
the enormous benefits that it provides to the people of the nation and hence it is
designated as the Goddess. The importance of River Ganga for the people of India is
enlisted below:

 Ganga is a snow-fed river and thus its water persists and is available to people of
the nation throughout the year. The river provides sustenance to the people living
on its bank from years.
 The silt deposited by the river water forms very fertile plains that support good
agriculture. Moreover, the water of River Ganga is available throughout the year
and thus it serves as the best source of irrigation for the cultivation of crops. The
crops that grow well in the fertile Gangetic plains are rice, sugarcane, lentils, oil
seeds, potatoes and wheat. In this way, it can be stated that the fertile plains and
water availability in river Ganga enhances agricultural production and thus boosts
the agricultural economy in the nation.
 The river water is the best fishing grounds and this again helps in boosting the
economy of the nation.
 The river water has been utilized for the installation of different hydroelectric
power projects and the construction of dams, bridges and canals. This has been
beneficial for the people of the nation and also useful in uplifting the economy of
India.
 River Ganga is considered as a holy river in Hindus and therefore the cities and
towns located on this river are the major spots for tourists. People of different
parts of the nation come to take bath in the river and attain its blessings. The
increase in tourism helps in boosting the economy of the nation.

The Flora And Fauna Of River Ganga Basin :-

The large Ganga Basin was rich in different varieties of flora and fauna but the wave of
human development has totally changed the scenario. Many areas of the river basin rich
in natural vegetation have been converted into agricultural lands or urban areas full with
human settlement. The area along the Himalayan foothills that contribute to be one-
fourth of the river basin areas rich in flora and fauna is only left with the natural habitat.
This area also includes the Rajaji National Park, Jim Corbett National Park, and Dudhwa
National Parks lying in the river Ganga Basin. The flora in the region of the Ganga river
basin has been distinguished and there are very small patches of forest areas left over
there. The upper Gangetic plains have tropical moist deciduous forests that are having
Sal species in the majority while the lower gangetic plains have open forests. Bombax
ceiba, Albizzia procera, Duabanga grandiflora, Sterculia vilosa are the dominant species
found in the open forests of lower gangetic plains. 

The river Ganga Basin that once inhabited different wild varieties like Asian Elephants,
Bengal Tigers, Indian rhinoceros, gaurs, barasinghas, sloth bears, and Indian Lions is now
left with a very small number of species at present. At present, the wild varieties in the
river basin are deer, wild boars, wildcats, Indian wolves, golden jackals, and Bengal foxes.
The Bengal tigers are confined are now confined only to the Sunderbans area of the
Ganga delta.

The Variety Of Fishes, Birds, Reptiles, And Turtles In River Ganga Basin :-

There are different varieties of birds inhabiting the Ganga river basin. They are myna,
parrots, crows, kites, fowls, partridges, etc. Many among them such as the great Indian
bustard and lesser florican species have become the threatened species in the entire
world. There are about 143 species of fish dwelling in the different sections of the Ganga
River Basin. 30 species of fish among them are considered as threatened species
because of the prevailing issues like pollution, overfishing, silting of water, and invasive
species. Ganges Shark is regarded as a critically endangered species of fish in the river
basin.

The Ganga river basin is also home to reptile species like gharial, mugger crocodile, and
saltwater crocodiles.  There are different species of aquatic and semi-aquatic species of
turtles found in different sections of the river basin. They are northern river terrapin,
three-striped roofed turtle, Indian black turtle, red-crowned roofed turtle, black pond
turtle, Brahminy river turtle, Indian eyed turtle, brown roofed turtle, Indian tent turtle,
Indian flapshell turtle, Indian narrow-headed softshell turtle, Indian peacock softshell
turtle, Cantor’s giant softshell turtle different species of turtles harbouring the Ganga
river basin but many of them have become endangered species at present.

Ganges River Dolphin- The Most Notable Species Of River Ganga :-

Ganges River Dolphin is regarded as the national aquatic animal in India and it is known
to reside in the freshwater of River Ganga. There was a time when this aquatic creature
used to be found in larger numbers in the freshwaters of both river Ganga and
Brahmaputra. The number of freshwater dolphins in the Ganga river water at present
has severely decreased and become one-fourth of their previous population because of
the increasing pollution and the construction of dams in the river.
Is Rising Pollution Of River Ganga A Critical Issue?

River Ganga is stated as the most sacred river of India as well as it is worshipped as a
goddess by the people of India. We cannot deny by this fact that the Ganga being the
most sacred river of India is also the second most polluted river of the nation. It is really
very sad to state that the river that is regarded as the symbol of purity is turning into the
most polluted river in the nation. The excessive dumping of waste, effluent discharges
from different industries, plunging of cremation ashes, flowers, incense sticks, human
wastes, etc have deteriorated the quality of the river water. The river water in some
cities has become black in colour.

It is demising to see such condition of river Ganga whose water was once utilized for
drinking and bathing purposes by the people. The rising pollution in River Ganga has now
become an international issue rather than being a national issue. The growing Ganga
river pollution results in deterioration of the quality of water that becomes harmful for
several aquatic species of flora and fauna. Several cases of illness due to water-borne
infections are also reported in people living near the banks of the river Ganga. Moreover,
the issue of global warming is also affecting the melting of the Gangotri glacier that is
the source of the river.

Initiatives For Cleaning River Ganga :-

The growing population of the Ganga River is becoming a crucial issue in the nation.
Many programmes have been launched for the purification of the polluted water of River
Ganga but none have been much successful in fulfilling the objective. The major cleaning
programme for cleaning of river Ganga named Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was initiated in
the year 1985. This plan was the dream project of Rajiv Gandhi and was launched with
great enthusiasm big expenditure with the motive of cleaning of river Ganga.

 The major motive of this programme was to clean pollution in river water in all districts
of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal state that lies on the bank of River Ganga. The
plan was working with a vision of reducing pollution by stopping the throwing of
untreated wastes, effluents and diverting their routes. The result was that the GAP could
not become successful in attaining its objective. It is because the plan greatly required
the proper implementation for becoming a successful one. The different activities that
were responsible for the pollution of the river water were not stopped properly and thus
the scenario did not change.

The Initiation Of ‘Namami Gange’ :-

Recently a new project named Namami Gange was launched by the government of India
in the year 2014 for cleaning of River Ganga. This project aims to curb the different ways
that cause Ganga river pollution. The project also focuses on the building of sewage
treatment plants, biodiversity conservation, river surface cleaning, public awareness, etc.
Along with the efforts of the government many NGOs have also shown their interest
and participated in the cleaning drive of River Ganga. There are many infrastructures
built as a result of the efforts of the rejuvenation of river Ganga but the problem of high
pollution levels in the river is still prevailing. It requires root implementation of the
programmes and policies for making it a successful one. It is also the responsibility of
every individual in the nation to help in reducing the Ganga river pollution and cleaning
the same.

Conclusion :-

River Ganga is essential for the existence of the people of India and especially in the
regions where it is only the source of drinking water and agricultural purposes. The river
basin also provides shelter to a variety of species of flora and fauna. The rising pollution
of river water is not a good sign for the people of the nation. We must make effort to
reduce the growing pollution in river Ganga and ensure that our efforts might result in
the conservation of this natural resource. We must not only give the name goddess to
this major river but also treat it like a goddess and help in retaining its purity once again.
We all must try to make people aware of the rising pollution in Ganga and also make
them understand the reasons behind the same. As an individual, this will be the best way
of making effort to save the rivers of our nation.

The end