2009-07-31
Revered by hundreds and thousands, the Ganga River is fighting for survival seriously threatened by alarming rise of various pollutants.
Increasing sewage from the drains, polythene bags and other garbage choke the river. The pollution levels have risen largely in Ganga over the past few years inspite of a government body.

"More and more devotees throng the Ganga, but there are no arrangements for anything. Though there are provisions for devotees, but the administration and the Ganga Pollution Board formed during the tenure of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, has been doing nothing to check the pollution level in Ganga. We have been living in Haridwar since childhood, but we haven't seen any initiative to clean Ganga," said Kailash, a resident in Haridwar.

Apart from this, big drains opening into Ganga also add to the pollution levels in the sacred river.

"All through the course of the river, so many drains mix into Ganga water. It is polluting water badly. The people are losing faith in the administration. The water has become unfit for drinking. The government should take strict steps to control the pollution level in Ganga," said Dev Dutt, another resident. 

While the rising pollution levels have alarmed the environmentalists, the government body that has been constituted to check the pollution in Ganga maintains that they are doing their best to save the river.

"There are 19 big drains in Haridwar, of which 15 have been tapped. Work is being conducted on other drains as well. We hope to complete the work on them by next Kumbh (an annual fair)" said RC Gupta, General Manager, Ganga Pollution Board.

According to reports, around 12 billion rupees have gone towards Ganga cleaning project.

The government has set up the National Ganga River basin Authority (NGRBA) to ensure effective abatement of pollution and conservation of Ganga river.

Despite tall claims and numerous efforts taken by the government, the state of the river remains the same with no improvement in the pollution levels.

Timely action and stringent steps are the immediate need of hour to save the river from further damage. By Ashish Goel (ANI)