Gangetic ecosystem by govind baabu

Gangetic ecosystem Safety and details

1. PRESENTED BY- Har Govind M.Sc . ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF ALLAHABAD GANGETIC ECOSYSTEM

2. Introduction Biodiversity Fungal flora of the Ganga Algal flora of the Ganga Macrophytes of the Ganga Invertebrates of the Ganga Vertebrates of the Ganga Status of aquacultre of Ganga river Reptiles of the Ganga river Avifauna of the Ganga river Mammals of the Ganga river Threats to the Ganga river Conclusion Conservation implications CONTENTS

3. The Ganga River was declared the “National River” on 4 November 2008.The Ganga River basin is spread across 11 states and covers 26.3% of India’s total geographical area. The River Ganga originates under the name of River Bhagirathi from Gangotri Glacier system. After flowing for about 200 km, the Bhagirathi meets with the River Alaknanda at Dev Prayag where the river attains the name Ganga . The Alaknanda originates from Satopanth and Bhagirath-Kharak Glaciers above Badrinath shrine. The Ganga flows for about 64 km before reaching Rishikesh at the foothill of the Himalaya;further 24km to reach at Haridwar . INTRODUCTION

4. From origin at Gomukh to its mouth at Ganga Sagar where it discharges into the Bay of Bengal, the Ganga traverses through vast alluvial plains of Uttarakhand , Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, passing through big cities like Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna and Kolkata, covering a total distance of over 2715 km. The Ganga basin also harbours a wide variety of relict species including the Ganges river dolphin, shark Ganges soft-shell turtle, gharials and several species of endemic freshwater crabs. The Ganga is home to 265 fish species. The River Ganga is facing challenges of maintaining its ecological integrity due to declining flow and degrading water quality due to pollution and construction of dams and barrages mainly to divert the river water for irrigation in unsustainable manner.

5. The ecosystem services of a river are not confined to providing water but probably the most important service lies in the assimilation of wastes from their catchments including those from anthropogenic sources. Practically all components of biodiversity contribute to this waste processing function, and thereby result in maintaining high water quality and productivity. The Ganga River harbours a unique assemblage of biodiversity due to its passage through 3 distinct biogeographic zones, namely the Himalaya, the Gangetic Plain and the Coastal Zone. The Ganga River falls under the West Himalaya province and comprises five forest types in which Juniperus sp., Pinus gerardiana , Cedrus deodara etc. BIO DIVERSITY

6. The middle stretch and most of the lower stretch of the Ganga River wind through the Gangetic Plain, which is one of the most fertile areas in the world, and most of the original vegetation has been converted into cropland. This biogeographic zone is divided into the Upper Gangetic Plain and the Lower Gangetic Plain provinces. The region harbours two major forest types, Tropical Dry deciduous forest ( Dalbergia sissoo , Acacia nilotica , Madhuca indica ) and Tropical Moist deciduous forest ( Shorea robusta , Tectona grandis , Terminalia arjuna ) Terrestrial species of this zone include the chital and sambar and among the representative aquatic species are the Gangetic river dolphin , smooth-coated otter , gharial and marsh crocodile . Examples of birds from these stretches of the Ganga River are Sarus crane and Indian skimmer.

7. The fungi are good decomposers and can degrade most complex substances including some pesticides. The fungi ( Aspergillus flavus , Aspergillus niger ) enter into the river system along with decaying twigs and leaves and finally become a part of the sediment. The fungal flora were studied by Patna University in the Buxar - Barh stretch of the Ganga in Bihar; 51 species of fungi in water and 54 species in sediment were isolated in 2011-12 in Bihar. A total of 102 species of fungi were isolated from Ganga in Munger - Farakka stretch. Fungal Flora of the Ganga

8. Algae are an ecologically important group of organisms in most aquatic ecosystems but often ignored as indicators of disturbance and conditions of aquatic ecosystem. Because of their nutritional needs and their position at the base of food chain, algal indicators provides relatively unique information concerning ecosystem conditions in comparison to commonly used animals and bacterial indicators. Algae, in general, and phytoplankton as specific group, respond rapidly and predictably to a wide range of pollutants and thus provide potentially early signal of the deteriorating condition of waters and possible causes. Algal assemblage provides one of the few benchmarks or establishing the required water quality conditions and for characterizing the minimally impacted biological conditions of many disturbing ecosystem. A total of 44 species were recorded in this stretch.24 In the first decade of 21st Century a total of 523 species of algae has been recorded from the lower stretch of the Ganga in West Bengal. Algal Flora of the Ganga

9. The abundance of pollution indicator species such as Ankistrodesmus , Coelastrum , Pediastrum , Scenedesmus , Actinastrum ( Chlrophyceae ), Cymbella , Cyclotella , Fragilaria ( Bacillariphyceae ) and Anabaena, Lyngbya , Merismopedia and Spirulina ( Cyanophyceae ) decreased in the Ganga during 1995-96 pointing towards improvement in water quality. In the estuarine zone there was a general increase in plankton density, probably due to increased flushing.

10. Macrophytes comprised aquatic and semi-aquatic marginal vegetation growing on the bank of rivers, some of which are ecologically and economically very important. Some of the good soil binders are Saccharum spontaneum , S. arundaceum , Ipomea carnea , Imperata cylindrica , Cynodon dactylon , Cyperus rotundus , Tamarix and Dichanthium annulatum . Many of the macrophytes are used as fuel, fodder, for making thatches and mats. Besides they provide shelter to breeding fish, insects and other animals. Macrophytes of the Ganga

11. Based on two continuous rapid surveys from Haridwar to Farakka 87 species of zooplankton, 68 species of benthic macro invertebrates, 83 species of fishes and 2 mammals were recorded. The dominance of molluscan fauna in the middle reach is due to more calcium carbonate in the river water, whereas 85% insects in the lower reaches is due to very low gradient making the river sluggish, and more clay in the sediments where the immature insects can take shelter. Invertebrates Fauna of the Ganga

12. Some new species were recorded from the river Ganga : Stenothyra ornata , a gastropod known only from the marine/estuarine zones, was collected about 750 km upstream from the sea. Physa mexicana , a native of North and Central American freshwater and new genus to the Indian sub-continent, was collected from the River Yamuna at Allahabad and the Ganga at Patna, and also from the Yamuna at Delhi. It invaded Indian rivers probably through the aquarium trades.

13. The first ever scientific document on Ganga recorded 268 fish species from the Ganga and its branches in 1822. The Ganges dolphin was reported in 1801for the first time from the river Hooghly near Calcutta. A detailed account of distribution and biology of the Gangetic dolphin was published in 1879. Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) recorded 375 species of fish, 11 species of amphibians, 27 of reptiles, 177 of birds and 11 of mammals from the Ganga . Remarkably, amphibians are the least known group among vertebrates of the Ganga . Vertebrate fauna of the Ganga

14. The Ganga River supports about 375 fish species, of which 34 including Indian Major Carps (IMC) ( Labeo rohita , Catla catla , Cirrhinus mrigala , and Labeo calbasu ), large catfishes ( Wallago attu , Bagarius bagarius ), featherbacks ( Notopterus notopterus , N. chittala ) and murrels ( Channa marulius , C. punctatus ) are of commercial value. STATUS OF AQUALIFE IN THE GANGA RIVER

15. Endemic species like Gharial ( Gavialis gangeticus ), a fish eating crocodile, of the Ganga basin have been heavily exploited for its hide resulting in near extinction of the species. Twenty Five gharial including 22 adults, one hatchling and two sub-adults were sighted in the Gandak in December 2012 and 3-4 babies and one adult in Ganga at Patna in 2007. The Ganges system supports 18 species of turtle fauna.In the stretch between Haridwar and Kanpur, 12 species of turtles were reported from the Ganga . Plenty of hard shell and soft shell turtles in the Ganga between Bijnor and Narora barrages soft shell turtles are collected from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to send the same to markets in West Bengal. In the last ten years, on many occasions every year hundreds of such turtles have been confiscated in Bihar. Reptiles

16. India is one of the global hotspots for birds, with over 1340 bird species (13% of the world’s species) recorded from the country. Falling within the Central Asian Flyway, the area is utilized by 307 species of migratory water birds, most of them coming from Central and North Asia, at the beginning of the winter season. Of the 307 migratory species, two are Critically Endangered, five are Endangered and 13 species are Vulnerable. Out of the remaining 287 species, 10 species are Near Threatened and 277 species are Least Concern as per the IUCN Red List. Of the 1340 bird species. Poaching of birds, and vanishing wetlands in the Ganga basin are the biggest threats to avian fauna in the rivers and the adjoining wetlands. Besides, heavy use of pesticides and loss of riparian vegetation are other important threats. AVIFAUNA

17. One of the most rare, endemic, endangered and charismatic mammals of the Ganga basin is the Gangetic dolphin . It is found in the Ganges-Brahmaputra- Meghna river systems in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. An estimated population of over 3600 individuals has been reported in the Ganga -Brahmaputra river systems including about 460 in Bangladesh and about 50 in Nepal. About 1500 dolphins are surviving in the main stem of the Ganga and its tributaries in Bihar. No information is available from the rivers of Bhutan which are part of the Ganga -Brahmaputra basin. Between Bijnor barrage and Narora barrage a small population of about 35 individuals were surviving 55 which has increased to 56 by 2010. Mammals

18. The Ganga River, along with the Brahmaputra River, forms one of the largest and most diverse river systems of the world, spanning 10 biomes. The varied geomorphological features along the Ganga River, coupled with climatic variations, results in a continuous gradient of habitats for various life forms, right from the headwaters to the mouth. This continuous yet varied gradient of habitats and life forms, results in differential availability of resources, which has been critical in shaping the local economy along the river. The Ganga River basin also hosts a dense population of diverse stakeholders having varied resource uses and linked culturally, religiously, socially and economically to the river. THREATS TO THE GANGA RIVER

19. The differential resource use by different stakeholders has resulted in varied impacts and threats along the length of the Ganga River. Therefore, for successful ecological restoration of the river, identification of site-specific threats and ways of minimizing or eliminating them is a prerequisite.

20. The River Ganga has been not only the cradle of the Indian civilization, but is the life line for the people of this part of the world. The river created vast plains of fertile land which attracted people from Central Asia to settle. Over the time several urban settlements came on the banks of the river. The river basin is one of the most thickly populated areas of the world. It remained source of pure freshwater and that of economic, spiritual and cultural activities since time immemorial. It sustains thousands of aquatic species of flora and fauna including many endemic and charismatic mega-fauna like the Ganges dolphin, Gavialis etc. The concentration of nitrate in natural rivers is typically low (<1 mg/L). The preliminary assessment of the water quality of the Ganga River reveals that the wastewater inflow has altered the water qaulity at specific locations and elevated the nitrate and BOD concentrations above critical levels. An excess organic load, especially nitrate, can rapidly deplete the dissolved oxygen concentration and can become toxic to aquatic organisms, mainly fishes, at >10 mg/L or a higher level. Hence, the critical locations identified with respect to detoriated water quality should be the focus of intervention efforts. CONCLUSION

21. The Ganga River is a repository of various life forms, resulting from the variations in its geomorphological and fluvial processes. This diversity of species or life forms is crucial for reducing the risk of ecological collapse and maintaining ecosystem services, which are essential for societal well-being. The  river conservation  programme was initiated with the Ganga  Action Plan (GAP) in the year 1985.The Authority has decided that under 'Mission Clean  Ganga ', it will be ensured that by the year 2020, no untreated municipal sewage and industrial effluents flow into  Ganga . National River Conservation Plan  (NRCP) is a centrally funded scheme launched in 1995 aimed at preventing the pollution of  rivers . It provoide information of each state on amount sanctioned under NRCP to which city and for what purpose. CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS

22. ' Namami Gange  Programme', is an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved as 'Flagship Programme' by the Union Government in June 2014 with budget outlay of Rs.20,000 Crore to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga . But the river has remained dirty. So  (NGP) Namami Gange Programme is an ambitious integrated Ganga Conservation Mission that was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in  May 2015 National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) had organised Ganga Vriksharopan Abhiyan in five main Ganga basin states – Uttarakhand , Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The drive was launched on  9th July 2018  for a week upto   15 July 2018  which was observed as ' Shubharambh Saptah '.