For a living Ganges - India
The Ganges, which originates in the Himalayas, is one of the world’s major river systems.
An emblem of India’s rich cultural past, the river has iconic status. Millions of Hindus believe that drinking or bathing in its waters will lead to moksha, or salvation. Water from the river is used in religious ceremonies, and it is the final resting place for thousands of Hindus, whose cremated ashes or partially burnt corpses are placed in the river for spiritual rebirth.
The Ganges river basin is one of the most densely populated and fertile basins in the world. It is home to one twelfth of the world’s population, of which some 100 million are directly dependent on the river and its tributaries for water for domestic and agricultural use.
The river basin has the richest freshwater fauna in India. It supports more than 140 fish species, including the endangered Indus river dolphin. The basin’s fisheries are of significant economic value to surrounding communities.
Threats
A large proportion of the rural population living in the basin depend directly on small-scale irrigation for their livelihoods. Water from the Ganges also supports a large commercial irrigation demand, which in turn supports much of India ’s food needs.
Critical stretches of the river are highly polluted by industry, sewage and agricultural runoff. Diversion of water into canal systems at Bijnor and Narora (in the upper reaches) for agricultural irrigation of sugarcane and other crops and use in cities robs the river of much of its water in the dry season.
A growing population and an increasing need for development are placing even more pressure on the already scarce water resources. For example, 220 hydropower projects in the state of Uttarakhand, in the northern part of India and of the Ganges, are in different stages of implementation. The cumulative impact of this development on long-term water security, ecology and livelihoods is just beginning to emerge.
WWF’s Living Ganga project, which is funded by HSBC, works in partnership with key local and regional organisations such as the International Water Management Institute, the Indian Institute of Technology, Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), an NGO called Ecofriends, various industry associations, and central and state government institutions. It is developing a framework for sustainable energy and water resource management in a critical stretch of the Ganges river basin. The project demonstrates that it is possible to improve the condition of the Ganges by reducing pollution, improving water flows in the river, ensuring sustainable hydropower development and reducing the impact of climate change on the most vulnerable people and biodiversity.
