Save the river Ganga and stop all anthropogenic activities on the riverbed in Uttarakhand
The Issue
The River Ganga is facing challenges of preserving ecological integrity due to declining flow and degrading water quality primarily due to pollution, illegal mining & quarrying, and unsustainable ways of constructing dams and barrages in the foothills of the Himalayas. In addition, the ongoing and planned construction of hydroelectric projects on the river Ganga and its tributaries in the Himalayan region, are adversely affecting the water quality and reducing the flow of the river.
The fast-flowing pristine waters of the Ganga and its tributaries have been transformed into reservoirs of stagnant water, or several portions of rivers have been completely devoid of the natural flow. Increased water levels in different reservoirs have not only submerged vast areas in the Himalayan region but have also resulted in frequent landslides.
Why do we need to save the largest river-system in the Indian sub-continent? (Read here)
The Ganga river basin receives 1 million cubic meters of water per square km annually. Out of this, 50% is available to surface flow, 30 percent is lost through evapotranspiration and the rest is lost through groundwater seepage. The annual flow of the river is 468.7 x 10^9 cubic meters which are equivalent to 25.2% of India’s total water resources. The annual mean discharge rate of the River is 18.7 x 10^3 per second.
To retain their three-dimensional dynamism and ecological integrity, the rivers must be allowed to flow freely and have longitudinal, lateral, and vertical connectivity. Construction of dams, barrages, and embankments along with mining activities in the riverbed has disrupted the longitudinal and lateral connectivity of the river Ganga. Lateral connectivity is very important for tropical rivers as it is necessary for the exchange of resources, nutrients, and biota between terrestrial as well as wetlands and river ecosystems.
Moreover, a wide range of relict animals, including the Ganges river dolphin, the Ganges river shark, Ganges soft-shell turtle, gharials, and other species of endemic freshwater crabs, are also housed in the Ganga basin along with 265 other species of fish. The impact on the ecological health of the river, including water quality and biodiversity, has been adversely affected by increased population growth, industrial development, urbanization, deforestation, and the construction of dams, as well as embankments.
We believe all such anthropogenic activities in the Ganga basin should be stopped immediately as these activities are threatening the survival of the river. We must allow Aviral Dhara and Nirmal Dhara (uninterrupted and pure flow) of the river Ganga.
Near the foothills of the Himalayas, there is a stretch of river that starts a few kilometers south of Haridwar and ends near the town of Dhariwala, about 22 kilometers downstream. This stretch of the Ganga has been the epicenter of a vicious and deadly fight for the ecosystem that has been going on for over 20 years, and there is still no sign of it fading today. (Read More)
Swami Shivanand Saraswati, the founder president of Matri Sadan, a small forest-ashram in Haridwar, along with other seers like Late Swami Nigamanand, Swami Gyan Swarup Sanand (IIT professor and Ganga activist), Swami Gopalanand, are fighting a long battle from 1997 for saving the holy river Ganga. The seers of Matri Sadan have staged numerous agitations and fasts (Satyagraha) to protect the holy river. Two younger seers from the Matri Sadan ashram, Swami Atmabodhanand and Padmavati had staged more than a hundred-days-long fast unto death agitations in the span of the last 2 years. (Read More)
Despite all the assurances given by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the NMCG Director (National Mission for Clean Ganga) that the demands of the seers of Matri Sadan to ban illegal mining activities and cancellation of hydroelectric projects on river Ganga will be investigated, no concrete steps have been taken by the government authorities.
The demands of these fasting seers of the Matri Sadan Ashram need to be met urgently and we, as a society should sympathize with the battle of these seers and take proactive steps to revive the holy river Ganga.
A river is only purified when its natural flow is not restricted by dams and embankments. In the recent past, repercussions of actions taken against the laws of nature have been seen in the form of floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other natural calamities, in many places around the world, including India. Through this petition, we seek support from people to condemn all anthropogenic activities on the river Ganga and voice their solidarity with Swami Shivanand.
We urge people to understand the need to take immediate measures for maintaining the original flow and reducing pollution of the holy river. Our rivers act as the lifelines for all creatures, who inhabit this beautiful planet. The Ganges, however, is more than that.
We request the Central and State Governments and the NMCG to take proactive steps to preserve the ecological integrity of the river Ganga and restore the pristineness of the 2704-km-long river.
#SaveGanga #NamamiGange #GangaActionPlan #CleanGangaMission
Petition by students of IIM Ahmedabad
1. Chinmay Mandal
2. Md Sarfraz Alam
Petition endorsed by:
1. Swami Shivanand Saraswati, Founder President, Matri Sadan, Haridwar (Ganga Conservation Activist)
2. Prof. Sandeep Pandey, Ph.D., UC Berkeley; Visiting Faculty, IIT Kanpur, IIT Gandhinagar, BHU Varanasi, IIM Ahmedabad (Social Activist)
760
The Issue
The River Ganga is facing challenges of preserving ecological integrity due to declining flow and degrading water quality primarily due to pollution, illegal mining & quarrying, and unsustainable ways of constructing dams and barrages in the foothills of the Himalayas. In addition, the ongoing and planned construction of hydroelectric projects on the river Ganga and its tributaries in the Himalayan region, are adversely affecting the water quality and reducing the flow of the river.
The fast-flowing pristine waters of the Ganga and its tributaries have been transformed into reservoirs of stagnant water, or several portions of rivers have been completely devoid of the natural flow. Increased water levels in different reservoirs have not only submerged vast areas in the Himalayan region but have also resulted in frequent landslides.
Why do we need to save the largest river-system in the Indian sub-continent? (Read here)
The Ganga river basin receives 1 million cubic meters of water per square km annually. Out of this, 50% is available to surface flow, 30 percent is lost through evapotranspiration and the rest is lost through groundwater seepage. The annual flow of the river is 468.7 x 10^9 cubic meters which are equivalent to 25.2% of India’s total water resources. The annual mean discharge rate of the River is 18.7 x 10^3 per second.
To retain their three-dimensional dynamism and ecological integrity, the rivers must be allowed to flow freely and have longitudinal, lateral, and vertical connectivity. Construction of dams, barrages, and embankments along with mining activities in the riverbed has disrupted the longitudinal and lateral connectivity of the river Ganga. Lateral connectivity is very important for tropical rivers as it is necessary for the exchange of resources, nutrients, and biota between terrestrial as well as wetlands and river ecosystems.
Moreover, a wide range of relict animals, including the Ganges river dolphin, the Ganges river shark, Ganges soft-shell turtle, gharials, and other species of endemic freshwater crabs, are also housed in the Ganga basin along with 265 other species of fish. The impact on the ecological health of the river, including water quality and biodiversity, has been adversely affected by increased population growth, industrial development, urbanization, deforestation, and the construction of dams, as well as embankments.
We believe all such anthropogenic activities in the Ganga basin should be stopped immediately as these activities are threatening the survival of the river. We must allow Aviral Dhara and Nirmal Dhara (uninterrupted and pure flow) of the river Ganga.
Near the foothills of the Himalayas, there is a stretch of river that starts a few kilometers south of Haridwar and ends near the town of Dhariwala, about 22 kilometers downstream. This stretch of the Ganga has been the epicenter of a vicious and deadly fight for the ecosystem that has been going on for over 20 years, and there is still no sign of it fading today. (Read More)
Swami Shivanand Saraswati, the founder president of Matri Sadan, a small forest-ashram in Haridwar, along with other seers like Late Swami Nigamanand, Swami Gyan Swarup Sanand (IIT professor and Ganga activist), Swami Gopalanand, are fighting a long battle from 1997 for saving the holy river Ganga. The seers of Matri Sadan have staged numerous agitations and fasts (Satyagraha) to protect the holy river. Two younger seers from the Matri Sadan ashram, Swami Atmabodhanand and Padmavati had staged more than a hundred-days-long fast unto death agitations in the span of the last 2 years. (Read More)
Despite all the assurances given by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the NMCG Director (National Mission for Clean Ganga) that the demands of the seers of Matri Sadan to ban illegal mining activities and cancellation of hydroelectric projects on river Ganga will be investigated, no concrete steps have been taken by the government authorities.
The demands of these fasting seers of the Matri Sadan Ashram need to be met urgently and we, as a society should sympathize with the battle of these seers and take proactive steps to revive the holy river Ganga.
A river is only purified when its natural flow is not restricted by dams and embankments. In the recent past, repercussions of actions taken against the laws of nature have been seen in the form of floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other natural calamities, in many places around the world, including India. Through this petition, we seek support from people to condemn all anthropogenic activities on the river Ganga and voice their solidarity with Swami Shivanand.
We urge people to understand the need to take immediate measures for maintaining the original flow and reducing pollution of the holy river. Our rivers act as the lifelines for all creatures, who inhabit this beautiful planet. The Ganges, however, is more than that.
We request the Central and State Governments and the NMCG to take proactive steps to preserve the ecological integrity of the river Ganga and restore the pristineness of the 2704-km-long river.
#SaveGanga #NamamiGange #GangaActionPlan #CleanGangaMission
Petition by students of IIM Ahmedabad
1. Chinmay Mandal
2. Md Sarfraz Alam
Petition endorsed by:
1. Swami Shivanand Saraswati, Founder President, Matri Sadan, Haridwar (Ganga Conservation Activist)
2. Prof. Sandeep Pandey, Ph.D., UC Berkeley; Visiting Faculty, IIT Kanpur, IIT Gandhinagar, BHU Varanasi, IIM Ahmedabad (Social Activist)
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Petition created on 23 November 2020