Ganges Pollution: Understanding The Main Causes

The Ganges River, India's largest river, is facing significant pollution issues that threaten both human health and the environment. With approximately 40% of India's population relying on the river for water supply, the pollution of the Ganges is a pressing concern. The main causes of pollution in the Ganges include industrial waste, agricultural runoff, untreated sewage, and the disposal of human and animal remains. Additionally, population growth and the construction of dams have further contributed to the river's pollution. Despite efforts to clean the river, such as the Namami Gange project, the pollution persists, and the river continues to be linked to water-borne diseases and environmental degradation.

Industrial waste

The Ganges River is one of the most densely populated regions globally, with the river flowing through 100 cities with populations of over 100,000 people. This has resulted in a large amount of untreated sewage being dumped into the river daily. Industrial waste is a significant contributor to the pollution of the Ganges River, with more than 500 million litres of wastewater from industrial sources being dumped directly into the river every day. This waste includes toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and plastic waste.

The river flows through many industrial cities, such as Kanpur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, and Patna, which have various industries like tanneries, chemical plants, textile mills, distilleries, slaughterhouses, and hospitals. These cities and facilities actively contribute to the river's pollution by discharging untreated waste. For example, the tanning industry in North India has converted the Ganges into a dumping ground for liquid effluents containing organic matter and toxic chemicals like chromium, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, and nickel. Kanpur, a city with a high concentration of tanneries, produces nine million litres of industrial waste daily, much of which is dumped illegally into the Ganges without treatment.

Another source of industrial pollution is the coal-based power plant on the banks of the Pandu River, a tributary of the Ganges. This plant burns 600,000 tons of coal each year and produces 210,000 tons of fly ash, which contains toxic heavy metals such as lead and copper. The ash is mixed with domestic wastewater and then released into the Pandu River, increasing the concentration of copper in the water by a thousand times compared to uncontaminated water.

The discharge of industrial waste into the Ganges River has been recognised as a problem for some time. The Ganga Action Plan (GAP), launched in 1985, aimed to improve water quality by intercepting, diverting, and treating domestic sewage and preventing toxic and industrial chemical wastes from entering the river. However, these efforts have not been successful, and industrial waste continues to be a major source of pollution in the Ganges River.

The Indian government has also attempted to address the issue, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledging to work on cleaning the river and controlling pollution. The Namami Gange project, announced in 2014, has spent an estimated ₹30 billion (US$460 million) on various efforts to clean up the river, but with little success. Proposed solutions include demolishing upstream dams to increase water flow, constructing new dams or reservoirs to provide dilution water, and investing in infrastructure to treat sewage and industrial waste in the Ganges catchment area.

Sewage

Untreated sewage is one of the main sources of pollution, with nearly 37 billion litres of it flowing into the river daily. This is due to the high population density in the region, as the river runs through 100 cities with populations of over 100,000 people, 97 cities with populations of 50,000 to 100,000 people, and around 48 settlements. The sewage water contains high levels of organic load, which contributes to the high levels of disease-causing bacteria found in the river.

The disposal of human sewage and animal waste is a significant issue. The traditional Hindu practice of cremating bodies on the banks of the river and allowing them to float downstream contributes to the pollution. In the Hindu holy city of Varanasi alone, an estimated 40,000 bodies are cremated each year and deposited into the river, with many of them only partially burned due to the high cost of cremation wood. Additionally, animal carcasses are also dumped into the river, further increasing the amount of sewage.

The sewage problem in the Ganges is exacerbated by the presence of industrial cities and facilities along its banks, such as Kanpur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, and Patna. These cities and facilities dump untreated industrial waste into the river, including effluents from tanneries, chemical plants, textile mills, distilleries, slaughterhouses, and hospitals. The industrial waste mixes with the domestic wastewater, further increasing the pollution levels in the river.

The pollution from sewage has severe health implications for the people who depend on the river. A study of the Ganges water in 2006 and 2007 revealed significant associations between water-borne diseases and the use of the river for bathing, laundry, washing, eating, cleaning utensils, and brushing teeth. The water has been linked to dysentery, cholera, hepatitis, and severe diarrhea, which is a leading cause of death among children in India.

Religious practices

The Ganges River, also known as Ganga, is considered sacred by Hindus and is an object of religious devotion for tens of millions of people worldwide. It is the largest river in India, stretching for over 2,500 kilometres and supplying water to approximately 40% of the country's population across 11 states. However, despite its religious significance, the river faces significant pollution due to various factors, including religious practices.

One of the major religious practices contributing to pollution in the Ganges is the traditional Hindu custom of cremating the dead on the river banks. According to Hindu beliefs, being cremated on the banks of the Ganges and having one's ashes flow down the river will cleanse the sins of the deceased and grant them salvation. In the holy city of Varanasi alone, around 40,000 bodies are cremated annually and then deposited into the river. Due to the high cost of cremation wood, many bodies are only partially burned, leading to remnants of unburned or partially burned bodies ending up in the river. This practice has resulted in the river being polluted with human remains, causing serious environmental and health concerns.

Another religious practice that impacts the river's pollution is the offering of materials to the Ganges as a form of worship. Devotees leave various items such as food, waste, and leaves in the river as offerings, which contribute to the accumulation of debris and pollution. The large volume of offerings, often amounting to tens of thousands daily, can lead to significant pollution issues. While some initiatives have been undertaken to address this, such as the construction of electric crematoria near the ghats in Varanasi, the scale of the problem remains daunting.

The Ganges River's pollution is further exacerbated by the disposal of human and animal carcasses. This practice, which may be influenced by religious beliefs, results in the river becoming strewn with remains, causing both environmental and aesthetic degradation. Additionally, the river's water has been linked to water-borne diseases such as dysentery, cholera, hepatitis, and severe diarrhoea, which contribute to high child mortality rates in India.

The religious significance of the Ganges River and the devotion it inspires among its worshippers present unique challenges in addressing the pollution issue. While various initiatives and projects have been undertaken, including the Namami Gange project, the river's vast size and the diverse sources of pollution make it a complex task to restore it to a clean and healthy state.

Population growth

The river serves an estimated 500 million people, providing water to approximately 40% of India's population across 11 states. This large population relies on the river for various purposes, including food, irrigation, and general needs. The extraction of water for these purposes has disrupted the river's natural flow and reduced its ability to self-clean and maintain its ecological or environmental flow (e-flow).

The high population density along the river also contributes to the disposal of human sewage and industrial waste into the Ganges. The river runs through many industrial cities, such as Kanpur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, and Patna, which have various facilities like tanneries, chemical plants, textile mills, distilleries, slaughterhouses, and hospitals. These cities and facilities dump untreated waste and industrial effluents into the river, further polluting it.

The traditional Hindu belief of cremating bodies on the banks of the Ganges and allowing them to float downstream also contributes to the pollution. In the holy city of Varanasi alone, about 40,000 bodies are cremated annually and deposited into the river. Many families cannot afford sufficient cremation wood, resulting in partially burnt bodies being placed in the river. This adds to the sewage and waste already present, further degrading the river's water quality.

The population's reliance on the river for various purposes and the disposal of human and industrial waste have severe environmental and health consequences. The pollution in the Ganges has been linked to water-borne diseases such as dysentery, cholera, hepatitis, and severe diarrhea, which remains a leading cause of death among children in India.

Overall, population growth and the resulting increase in human activities along the river have significantly contributed to the pollution of the Ganges. Addressing this issue requires behavioral changes and the implementation of effective conservation and pollution control measures to restore the river's biodiversity and ensure its long-term health.

Heavy metal contamination

The Ganges River is considered sacred by the people of India, as it provides life sustenance to the environment and ecology. However, the river's heavy metal contamination poses a significant threat to human health and the environment. Heavy metal contamination in the Ganges is mainly caused by industrial activities and human and animal waste.

Industrial cities located on the banks of the Ganges, such as Kanpur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, and Patna, contribute to heavy metal pollution by discharging untreated industrial waste into the river. This includes waste from tanneries, chemical plants, textile mills, distilleries, slaughterhouses, and hospitals. For example, a coal-based power plant on the Pandu River, a tributary of the Ganges, burns 600,000 tons of coal annually and releases fly ash containing toxic heavy metals like lead and copper into the river. Industrial effluents account for about 12% of the total waste reaching the Ganges.

Another source of heavy metal contamination in the Ganges is the disposal of human and animal carcasses into the river. Traditional Hindu beliefs hold that cremation on the banks of the Ganges and floating in the river will cleanse the sins of the deceased. However, due to the high cost of cremation wood, many bodies are only partially burned or left unburned, leading to water pollution. The river runs through densely populated areas, with a high organic load of sewage and waste contributing to heavy metal contamination.

The accumulation of heavy metals in the river has severe ecological and health impacts. The Ganga River is a significant source of fish production, with species such as L. rohita, C. catla, and C. mrigala abundantly found. These fish have high levels of heavy metals due to their extensive column-feeding nature, and their consumption can directly affect the health of individuals living in and outside the fishing sites. Heavy metals can lead to bioaccumulation and biomagnification, causing developmental retardation, kidney damage, neurological disorders, endocrine disruption, cardiovascular dysfunction, and various cancers in humans.

Several initiatives have been undertaken to address the heavy metal contamination in the Ganges, such as the Namami Gange project, which received significant funding from the Indian government. However, these efforts have not yielded significant results, and the river remains heavily polluted by toxic heavy metals, posing a persistent threat to human health and the environment.

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