Case study on the river Ganga by ISM Ravi Kiran JP (Defining Generations)

A general basic case study on the river Ganga at Varanasi covering all the aspects of Pollution, Government'r role, Treatment facilities, Future prospects, Health status of river.

1. The Ganges
Pollution sources and Treatment
prospects

2. presented by
Ravi Kiran JP
Ashutosh & MD Asif Iqbal
“Defining generations”

Email ID: [email protected]
Department of Environmental Science & Engineering
Indian School of Mines(ISM), Dhanbad
Jharkhand- 826004

3. The Ganges
 Trans-boundary river of India & Bangladesh.
The 2,525 km (1,569 mi) river rises in the western Himalayas in the
Indian state of Uttarkhand and flows south -east through
the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties
into the Bay of Bengal.
 It is the longest river of India and is the second greatest river in the
world by water Discharge.
The Ganges basin is the most heavily populated river basin in the
world, with over 400 million people and a population density of about
1,000 inhabitants per square mile.
Ganga, has been enlisted on the list of 10 most endangered rivers of
the world.

4. The Ganges Map

5. Scientific significance of the Ganga
According to reports by environmental engineers of IIT
Roorkee , the Ganga decomposes the organic waste 15 to 25
times faster then other river.
 Scientists and religious leaders have speculated on the causes
of the river's apparent self-purification effect, in which water-
borne bacteria such as dysentery and cholera are killed off,
thus preventing large-scale epidemics.
Some studies have reported that the river retains more oxygen
than is typical for comparable rivers; this could be a factor
leading to fewer disease agents being present in the water.
The waters of the Ganga carry one of the highest sediment
loads anywhere in the world, with a mean annual total of 1.6
billion tonnes, compared to 0.4 billion tonnes for the Amazon

6. Contd..
According to NBRI (National Botanical
Research Institute) Ganga water have a anti
bacterial quality .
It found in research the E. COLI live only 3
days in Ganga water due to its bacterio-phase
quality's.
43% of Indian population rely on the Ganges
lonely.

7. Environmental Problems
The Ganges was ranked among the top five most
polluted rivers of the world in 2007, with fecal
coliform levels in the river near Varanasi more than
hundred times the official Indian government limits.
Pollution threatens not only humans, but also more
than 140 fish species, 90 amphibian species and the
endangered Ganges river dolphin.
It is filled with chemical wastes, sewage and even
human and animal remains which carry major health
risks by either direct bathing in the dirty water, or by
drinking.  

8. Faecal Coliform Report by CPCB, 2012

9. Varanasi, the spiritual capital of India

10. It is found in research's the FAECAL
COLIFORM levels in the river near Varanasi
more than 100 times then official Indian
government limit.

11. WATER QUALITY OF RIVER GANGA
Water quality can be characterize by mainly
following parameters:
Dissolve oxygen (DO)
Biological oxygen demand (BOD)
Chemical oxygen demand (COD)
Fecal coliform

12. Water Quality of Varanasi

13. Pollution sources, causes & Effects

14. Nonpoint sources:
Runoff from agricultural fields
Solid waste
Marigold flowers with pesticides
Human and Cattle excreta and fecal
matter
Bathing and washing on ghats
Cremation

15. Example Cremation at Manikamika Ghat

16. Point Sources
Sewage Effluent discharge
Domestic waste
Industrial Effluents
Oveflow and leakage of Nalas
Polluted river Nala
Leather Industries

17. Ganga Action plan
 In 1986, the government had launched the first phase of 
Ganga Action Plan (GAP-I) to protect the country’s 
largest river basin. It selected stretches of the river along 
25 cities in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. 
In 1993, GAP-II was initiated which included the river’s 
tributaries—the Yamuna, Gomti, Damodar and the 
Mahanadi. 
On February 20, 2009, the Union government gave the 
Ganga the status of a National River and re-launched 
GAP with a reconstituted National Ganga River Basin 
Authority. The re-launched GAP took into account the 
entire river basin and emphasised the river’s need to 
have adequate water to maintain its ecological flow. But 
five years after the re-launch, pollution levels are still, to 
say the least, grim. Rivers have the ability to clean 
themselves—to assimilate and treat biological waste 
using sunlight and oxygen. But the Ganga gets no time
to breathe and revive

18. Failure of GAP I & GAP II
1.Non availability of Environmental State-of-the-
Art.
2.Inappropriate Environmental Planning.
3.Establishment of non specific Sewage Treatment
Plants on highly productive crop lands.
4. Least political dedication and vision to save the
Ganga.

19. Government in Action Again
The Ganges River, considered to be sacred in India is 
getting a $1 billion clean up loan from the World Bank.
Clean up efforts that include building water
treatment plants, fixing dams and other water quality
improvement measures.
VARANASI is all set to witness establishment of 
National Ganga River Basin Research Institute for 
sustainable development of the Ganga river basin in 
the region. The Centre has expressed confidence that 
by 2020 the polluted River Ganga would be cleaned 
and Rs 15,000 crore will be spent on it. 

20. Prime Minister Plans New Policy to Clean
Ganga – A Ray of Hopes!!
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had vowed to 
come out with a plan to bring back the lost glory of Ganga
during his campaign in Varanasi, and now his government is 
planning a policy initiative to check pollution in the mighty 
river.
“The government will work out a policy initiative for the 
rejuvenation of Ganga as well as the cleaning up of other 
important rivers in the country. Efforts will be made to make 
it clean and pious as it was in the past,” Union Minister of
Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti said 
after taking charge of the ministry. Promising an early review 
the status of various river projects, including fund allocation, 
Bharti said all the rivers should be made free from the source 
of pollution and people should get clean water. 

21. Medium and Long Term strategy
Medium Term Plan
Creating enabling environment through CPCB to achieve the objective
of zero liquid discharge
Sanitation measures in 1649 Gram Panchayats as identified by Ministry
of Drinking Water and Sanitation
Sewerage infrastructure coverage for identified 118 towns
Long Term Plan
To emerge from Ganga River Basin Management Plan (GRBMP) being
prepared by consortium of 7 IITs, likely to be submitted by December,
2014 - Interim Report received from IIT consortium

22. Schematic Diagram of Varanasi 
proposed by GAP

23. Mision Clean Ganga 2020
Objective: “by year 2020, no untreated 
municipal sewage and industrial effluents flow 
into Ganga”

24. Gangotri
Ganga Sagar
River with unique Ecosystem River with unique Ecosystem
and Biodiversity and Biodiversity
Socio-Cultural HeritageSocio-Cultural Heritage
Water Resource ManagementWater Resource Management
Environmental Quality Environmental Quality
and Pollutionand Pollution
Geo-morphological Changes: Erosion, Sediment Geo-morphological Changes: Erosion, Sediment
Transport/Deposition And FloodsTransport/Deposition And Floods

25. Contd..

26. REMEDIES FOR MISMANAGEMENT IN
GANGA RIVER POLLUTION
Appropriate technology and suitable alternatives for waste
water interception and treatment of sewage in Varanasi
(Not to use electrical dependent pumps in STP, instead use
gravity based)
A type of algae that eats feces that is use to turn sewage in
to fertilizer could be use to clean the Ganges river
(advanced integrated wastewater)
Improving river bank to reduce erosion
Reduce obstruction of water flow
By mind setup and reduction in corruption
By proper and forceful implementation of water act and
environmental act
River water quality monitoring at regular intervals

27. Environmentalists speaks:
“ Environmentalists say the river supports over
400 million people, and if the unabated
pollution is not controlled, it will be the end
of communities living along the banks.”

28. FUTURE THREAT!!

29. Conclusions
Due to excessive sewage discharge, industrial
and domestic waste at various places, the
quality and sacredness of Ganges has
degraded
Aerobic microbial activity has reduced the DO
and increased the BOD
Damming along the river at various places has
reduced its carrying capacity to dissolve
harmful things

30. Contd..
Dolphin, the national aquatic organism
(Platanista gangetica gangetica) has become
endangered due to excessive pollution
Indicating that the cultural, religious, social
and economical value of Ganga is in danger

31. References
Divedi,S. 1991. Assessment of water quality of
river Ganga at Varanasi. Ph.D. Thesis. Banaras
Hindu University, Varanasi.
River Ganga At Varanasi: The Polluted Purifier,
Priyadarshini Shukla And B.D. Tripathi
Department Of Botany, Banaras Hindu University,
Varanasi (U.P.).
STATUS PAPER ON RIVER GANGA, national river
conservation directorate ministry of environment
and forest.