New York Times News article on River Ganga

VARANASI, India — For centuries, Hindus have brought their dead to banks of the Ganges River in this ancient city, with the promise that if their bodies are burned on the riverfront, their souls will escape the constant cycle of rebirth and attain moksha, or salvation. Transporting their souls is the goddess of the river, whose ebbs and flows have run through thousands of years of civilization.

Now this city’s holy waters are at the center of one of the most important elections in India’s modern history as Narendra Modi, the front-runner in the race for prime minister, has made the cleanup of the sacred river a metaphor for his campaign. He says he wants to restore the river’s purity just as he will revive a nation sullied by corruption and stalled by mismanagement and bureaucratic sloth.

There was a time in living memory when the water in the river was clean enough to drink, said Shyamlal Eshad, a boatman in his 50s. Today, three hundred million liters of raw sewage mixed with industrial pollutants are dumped in the Ganges here every day, according to B.D. Tripathi, an environmental scientist and an advocate for cleaning the Ganges. The stench along the uneven cobblestone steps in parts of Varanasi is overpowering, and Mr. Eshad laments his goddess in decline.

“I feel Mother Ganga has called me to Varanasi,” Mr. Modi said to a sea of caps, masks and flags in saffron, the color of his Bharatiya Janata Party, at a rally leading up to the voting here on Monday. Results are expected Friday. “I feel like a child who has returned to his mother’s lap,” he said.

Dr. Tripathi, an environmental science professor at Banaras Hindu University and a member of a government panel studying the Ganges, said the flow of the Ganges is being blocked by dams for irrigation and electricity, limiting its ability to clean itself. Ninety-five percent of the pollution comes from the raw sewage and industrial pollutants pouring into it; the rest is half-burned flesh and religious items, he said. Officials claim they lack the money to build proper water-treatment facilities.

“We are converting a river into a pond due to our actions,” said Dr. Tripathi, blaming mismanagement for the many hundreds of millions of dollars invested in the river with little to show for it. Like many here, he believes Mr. Modi is the only candidate decisive enough to save the river.

“Modi’s approach with Varanasi, is definitely for a lot of Hindus, a call to the ancient past,” said Nilanjana S. Roy, a writer. “It’s an attempt to create a Hindu symbol and it’s a call to clean up the pollution of the culture.” 

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Challenges of River Ganga before Narendra Bhai Modi

Recently during 16^th Loaksabha Election the victory of Shri Narendra Bhai Modi has created a new history in India. Before going for nomination he told “ Maa Ganga ne mujhe bulaya hai” have shown his commitment towards mother Ganga. This was highly appreciated by the environmentalists, technocrats and the common masses because the life of 450 million people is threatened due to fragmentation of river Ganga.

Since, Modi ji has become Prime Minister of India and Chairman of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), I as an expert member of the NGRBA and pioneer scientist working on Ganga for last 42 years, would like to draw his attention towards the following challenges of river Ganga.

1.   Continuous decrease in the flow of water during past a few years has induced fragmentation of the National River Ganga and it has imposed a serious problem to the nation and threatened the lives of 450 million people.

2.    Decrease in the velocity and quantity of Ganga water has adversely affected its dilution factor rather self purifying capacity. Hence, without any further addition in the quantity of pollutants, the intensity of Ganga water pollution has been increased.

3.   Decrease in the flow of Ganga water is the probable reason by which all efforts made by the government during past a few decades to control the pollution of river Ganga has not been visualized.

4.  Mother Ganga is suffering with the “triple R” problem i.e. Reduced ecological flow, Reduced water carrying capacity and Reduced quality i.e. Pollution of water.

5. The problem of mother Ganga is the multidimensional problem, henceforth, only holistic approach can save the Ganga.

Since, mother Ganga is inseparable part of our life and its water is regarded as the most purifier of human body and soul science times immemorial, I would like to request Modi ji to keep aforesaid points in his mind before implementing any further projects to save mother Ganga. 

Prof. B.D.Tripathi, Expert Member, NGRBA, Govt. of India