PowerPoint Presentation

GANGAThe Ganges or Ganga, is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The 2,525km (1,569mi) river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttrakhand. It is the longest river of India and is the second greatest river in the world by water Discharge.

The Story of River GangaKing Bhagiratha through his penance was responsible for the descent of Ganga from Heaven to Earth

As the might of the river was too much for Earth to withstand, he prayed to Lord Shiva who caught the river in his matted hair

Pollution of the Ganges

Ganga Action Plan

Points To Be Discussed

Ganga in olden times

Present stage

Main culprits

Drastic Impacts

What our government has done?..

Public efforts

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Ganges In Olden TimesMuch cleaner before the era of industrialization .In Rome there is a fountain of four Rivers The Ganges, The Nile, The Danube and The Rio De La Plata.

Full of ashes.Site of bathing and laundry.Harshly affected by Toxic and non-biodegradable waste.Coliform counts 10000% more than govt. standards.

Modern Day Ganges

Main Culprits

Human wasteThe Ganges river basin is one of the most fertile and densely populated region in the world and covers an area of 1,080,000km2 (400,000 square miles). The river flows through 29 cities with population over 100,001; 23 cities with population between 50,000 and 100,000, and about 48 towns. A large proportion of the waste in the Ganges is from this population through domestic usage like bathing, laundry and public defecation.

Industrial wasteCountless tanneries, chemical plants, textile mills, distilleries, slaughterhouses, and hospitals contribute to the pollution of the Ganges by dumping untreated waste into it. 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.Religious events During festival seasons, over 70 million people bathe in the Ganges over a few weeks to cleanse themselves from their sins. Some materials like food, waste or leaves are left in the Ganges for ritualistic reasons. A HIndu belief is that dropping the ashes of cremated bodies at the Manikarnika Ghat (at Varanasi) in the Ganges would give Moksha (liberation) to the jiva (soul).

Marine lifeWildlifeHuman beings

Drastic Impacts

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What our government has done..??Ganga Action PlanNational River Ganga Basin Authority (NRGBA)Steps taken by Supreme Court of India

The Ganga Action Plan India attempts to clean up

GAPLaunched byRajeev Gandhiin April 1985 901.71Crore , withdrawn on 31 March 2000Relaunched in year 2006Million liters of sewage is targeted to be intercepted, diverted and treated by Sewage Treatment Plant.

Includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants.

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Process

A decentralised system (in septic tanks, biofilters or aerobic treatment systems)Collected and transported via a network of pipes and pump stations to a municipal treatmentInvolves three stages Primary treatmentSecondary treatmentTertiary treatment

Primary treatment consists of temporarily holding the sewage in a quiescent basin where heavy solids can settle to the bottom while oil, grease and lighter solids float to the surface. Secondary treatment removes dissolved and suspended biological matter. Secondary treatment is typically performed by indigenous, water-borne micro-organisms in a managed habitat.Tertiary treatment is sometimes defined as anything more than primary and secondary treatment in order to allow rejection into a highly sensitive or fragile ecosystem (estuaries, low-flow rivers, coral reefs,...).

Public Efforts

Nigamanad

Prof. G. D. Aggrawal

Thank you