This is a petition to save world’s most sacred river, Ganga from the shackles of corruption and mis-management, and restore the pristine status of the divine river. Ganga has been the centre for faith & livelihood for people of India since time immemorial. Sign the petition for Maa Ganga and for our future. 

The quest to maintain divinity & sacredness of Maa Ganga has been a tough one. It has already cost 2 lives in the last 10 years, and now 2 Saints are on Satyagraha (fast-unto-death) till the Government confirms in writing that Ganga will be saved from mining & destruction. 

 

This petition is addressed to the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi. By signing this petition, you stand with us in this fight to save Ganga and also the lives of Saints who are ready to martyr their own life for this cause. 

 

The key demands of this petition are as follows : 

 

1. Stop constructing hydroelectric power dams in Uttarakhand, and let Ganga river flow uninterrupted, “Aviral”. 

2. Complete ban on sand, stone & boulder mining in Ganga

3. Stop disposing untreated sewage from STPs, plastic & household wastes directly into Ganga

 

Please read the petition till the end to understand more about the concerns which are causing extensive, irreversible damage to River Ganga and to the surrounding eco-system: 

 

1. Construction of multiple hydroelectric power dams in Uttarakhand: The 900+ power projects being built in the upper parts of Ganga’s course interrupt the continuous flow of Water, raise water temperature, and have led to loss of aquatic life & species. While these power projects are being constructed with the objective of ‘economic development’, the real cost that Environment pays for these constructions is very high. The Himalayan Mountains in Uttarakhand are very fragile and are a highly earthquake prone area. Massive construction in these areas make the Mountains even more frail and prone towards accident. Kedarnath tragedy in 2013 and the recent Rishiganga tragedy earlier this year are such examples. In the last 10 years, the number of cloudburst cases have increased exponentially in Uttarakhand. These power dams are completely unsustainable and must be stopped. Government and decision makers should find alternate ways to generate electricity and employment. 

 

2. Extensive illegal mining in Ganga : As Ganga enters plainland near Haridwar, massive stone, boulder and sand mining is being done by the corrupt Mining Mafia, in collusion with Administration and Government. To safeguard this area from the destruction of Mining, Saints of Matri Sadan in Haridwar have been on multiple Satyagrah, (fast-unto-death, where the Saints only consume honey-lemon water, and often go without water as well), lasting for days. The Government & Administration through their callous and indifferent attitude have been responsible for the loss of 2 Saints (Swami Nigamanand Saraswati in 2011 and Swami Sanand ji in 2018; Sanand ji, also known as Professor GD Agarwal was an eminent research scholar who taught at IIT Kanpur and ULCA, Berkeley for many years). Currently, 2 Saints are on Satyagrah for more than a month. Their fight will continue till their last breath. 

 

3. Disposing untreated sewage from STPs, plastic & household wastes directly into Ganga : 3000 million litres of untreated sewage from these towns along the Ganges are pumped into the river every day. Ganges carries almost 72,845 tons of plastic waste to the oceans. Ganges is home to approximately 140 species of fish and 90 species of amphibians. The river also contains reptiles and mammals, including critically endangered species such as the gharial and South Asian river dolphin. The levels of faecal coliform bacteria from human waste in the river near Varanasi are more than a hundred times the Indian government's official limit.

 

 

 

Ganga isn’t just a River for us. It’s the source and centre of life itself. Deeply embedded in our religious and historical legends, Ganga’s stature as a Divine & Sacred River is known to all. Livelihood of millions of Indians is dependent upon the River. Even today, taking a dip in the holy waters of Ganga is believed to eradicate all sins. Haridwar, the place where Ganga enters plains from the Himalaya Mountains, is an important holy place for the people of India. 

 

It is a matter of deep sadness and angst, that today, even before Ganga gets to Haridwar, her course is full of obstacles and obstructions, which have stripped her of the purity and divinity that she possesses. Through the countless dams and power projects which have been erected in Ganga (940 by the last count) in Uttarakhand, the continuous, free-flow of the River has been interrupted. It is easy to understand the ecological imbalance this has created. The continuous stoppage and release of water has led to increase in water temperatures, which has led to loss of aquatic life, most significantly the Ganga Dolphin & Turtles – population of which is now negligible. 

With each dam being created, lakes are being formed in the course of the River. These huge lakes exert immense pressure on the fragile mountain walls of Himalayas. Himalayas in Uttarakhand have been an earthquake prone, eco-fragile zone as it is; the mountains are not strong enough to take this extra pressure everywhere. Result is clear – increase in the number of calamities of big and small scale in Uttarakhand. Some are due to cloud burst, others due to landslides. The Kedarnath tragedy in 2013 and RishiGanga tragedy in 2021 are just 2 examples which got the most media coverage. There are many such smaller scale cloud bursts and landslides which happen very frequently in Uttarakhand state and cause damage to life and villages. 

 

On the other hand, there are millions of Indians who live along her course from Uttarakhand, to UP, to Bihar and to some parts of West Bengal. These people, includes both Farmers and Saints, for whom Ganga is a lifeline. The Ganges today, is threatened by severe population from untreated sewage water released everyday, and the huge amounts of plastic & other household wastes being deposited. This clearly poses a danger not only to humans but to animals and fishes. Ganges is home to approximately 140 species of fish and 90 species of amphibians. The river also contains reptiles and mammals, including critically endangered species such as the gharial and South Asian river dolphin. The levels of faecal coliform bacteria from human waste in the river near Varanasi are more than a hundred times the Indian government's official limit. 

India has maintained a strong connection to its spirituality, and wider commitments to a balanced environment, but materialism & greed has ripped the decision makers out of their senses. With the unsustainability reaching it’s peak, 2 sides are clearly emerging : one side only for pro for economic empowerment & development, and other fighting for the more intangible spirit of the river and respect for the environment. With the right intent, third side can also be balanced, which focuses on sustainability first and then on development. 

Matri Sadan, a small Ashram based in Haridwar is among the very few who are actively committed to preserve the sanctity & divinity of River Ganga. The Saints of Matri Sadan are committed to preserve Ganga against environmental degradation and corruption, through Satyagraha, the approach which Mahatma Gandhi used to oust British from India. Satyagraha (means Request for Truth) is a non-violent, peaceful form of protest which the Saints of Matri Sadan do by observing continuous fast (or fast-unto-death). For days, weeks and months, the Saints consume only lemon-honey & water, and often not even water. In 2018, after Prof GD Agarwal was declared dead in AIIMS Rishikesh, 23 year old saint Brahmachari Aatmabodhanand did a fast for 194 days, staying only on lemon water. 

The Saints of Matri Sadan initially began fasting around 20 years ago, outside Government Offices in Dehradoon and Haridwar when illegal mining first started in Ganga. Ironically, they were arrested and imprisoned for ‘disturbing peace’. While in prison, the tactics employed by mining mafia took a macabre turn and Swami Shivanand (Founder, Matri Sadan) was poisoned with Arsenic and barely survived. Independent tests conducted by a French test lab confirmed presence of Arsenic in his body. Though he survived, 2 others were not so lucky. Swami Gokulanand died of scholine poisoning in 2004 and Swami Nigamamand passed away from organophosphate poisoning in 2011 after a staggering 68 day long fast. Till date, Matri Sadan has done more than 60 Satyagraha of various durations, and each & everyone of their Satyagraha has inevitably ended with Mining being banned. However, each time, the peace is only short lived. The corrupt mining mafia in collusion with Government and administration, end up opening Mining again in Ganga, either with fraudulent documents or by overlooking the existing bans. All Complains addressed to authorities fall on deaf years.

 

Now, Swami Shivanand Saraswati is in his mid 70’s, and his fight to save Ganga is as strong as ever. Presently, he and his disciple Brahmachari Aatmabodhanand have been on Satyagraha for a month. The Government on the other hand while promised through written letters to agree to stopping mining and construction of dams, doesn’t comply with it’s own orders, to the extent of even releasing forged reports to misdirect public and continues violating the sanctity of the River. 

 

The extent of greed is so much that, in 2017, Uttarakhand High Court declared Ganga & Yamuna as ‘living entities’, which meant that both these rivers had a legal status as that of a living person. But Uttarakhand Government, challenged the Order, took the matters to Supreme Court and got a Stay on this Order. Their argument – that this declaration is unsustainable!! It is clear, that Uttarakhand Government, and even the Hon’ble Supreme Court only see River Ganga as a ‘resource to fulfil human desires’, and treat her with nothing with dis-respect & contempt. In a way, this is a modern re-adaption of Draupadi’s Chirharan from Mahabharata. 

 

We request you to sign this petition, and share it far & wide. Let’s leave a better legacy for our coming generations. Let’s leave the world in a better place than we received it in.