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River Ganges – Historical, Cultural and Socioeconomic Attributes

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River Ganges – Historical, Cultural and Socioeconomic Attributes River Ganges – Historical, cultural and socioeconomic attributes Dilip Kumar C-9/9698, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi 110070, India Corresponding author: [email protected] The River Ganges (also referred to as Ganga) is a symbol of faith, hope, culture and sanity, as well as a source of livelihood for millions since time immemorial. She is the centre of social and religious tradition in the Indian sub-continent and particularly sacred in Hinduism. The very special faith and respect for the River Ganges in India are as old as Indian culture itself. These are amply reflected in such ancient Indian scriptures as: Vedas, Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana and several others. In fact, respect for Ganga is a part of Indian identity and the very symbol of Indian culture. The history of Ganga in nurturing culture and civilizations is appreciated through fostering native culture in its basin, shifting of the Indus-Sarasvati basin civilization into its fold, and promoting integration of cultures to develop Indian civilization. The Ganges alone drains an area of over a million square kilometers. Its extensive basin accounts for one-fourth of India’s water resources and is home to more than 407 million Indians, or some one-third of India’s population. The Ganges basin, with its fertile soil, is a significant contributor to the agricultural economies of both India and Bangladesh. The Ganges and its tributaries provide a perennial source of irrigation to a large area, in addition to recharging the groundwater table all along their course. By supporting agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries, tourism, river-based trade and transport, the river contributes significantly to the livelihood, food and nutritional security of about one-third of Indian and two-thirds of the Bangladeshi population. This article attempts to present a macro view of the Ganges and provide a broader context encompassing its historical, spiritual, cultural and socioeconomic attributes and considerations which often remain untouched in scientific papers. Keywords: Indus-Saravasti civilization, river basin, agriculture, fisheries, livelihood Introduction intricately tied with almost all aspects of life and the livelihoods of the people living in its environs. The Ganges, or Ganga as it is locally known, is The river is also considered as “the lifeline of much more than a mere natural resource. It is a India,” as it delivers wide-ranging services encom- major river of the Indian subcontinent and widely passing the transitions of water to food, energy to acclaimed for its great cultural, spiritual, economic ecology, lives to livelihoods, social concerns to and ecological significance, which far transcends economic, and cultural considerations to spiritual. the national borders and boundaries of its vast Ganga is the most sacred river for Hindus, who span of basin and delta. Ganga has also been a cra- call it Ma Ganga (mother Ganga) possibly because dle of human civilization. Since time immemorial, it holds and nurtures billions of lives, including it has been influencing humankind, as it has been humans and other terrestrial, aquatic, and 8 Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management, 20(1–2):8–20, 2017. Copyright Ó 2017 AEHMS. ISSN: 1463-4988 print / 1539-4077 online DOI: 10.1080/14634988.2017.1304129 Downloaded from http://read.dukeupress.edu/aehm/article-pdf/20/1-2/8/888977/8kumar.pdf by guest on 25 September 2021 Kumar/Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management 20 (2017) 8–20 9 amphibious entities. The many symbolic meanings information thus generated is documented in vari- of the river across the Indian subcontinent are ous reports prepared by the Irrigation Commission reflected by the two inspiring quotes of Pandit of the Government of India (1972). Certain highly Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of the relevant information related to other aspects of the Republic of India, in his book “Discovery of river are also available: Khosla (1977); Rao India” (Nehru, 1946): (1975); GOI (1976); IARI (1977); Gole and Patter- gar (1978); FAO (1978); UN (1996); Lal (1998). Significant eco-biological and environment- “The Ganga, especially, is the river of India, beloved related information has also been a major focus of of her people, round which are intertwined her mem- research with the growing awareness of environ- ories, her hopes and fears, her songs of triumph, her victories and her defeats. She has been a symbol of mental, fisheries, biodiversity and socioeconomic India’s age-long culture and civilization, ever chang- concerns: Bilgrami and Dutta Munshi (1979); ing, ever flowing, and yet ever the same Ganga. Singh et al. (1983); Jhingran, A. G. (1989a, 1989b); Jhingran, V. G. (1991); Bilgrami (1991); The Ganga to me is the symbol of India’s memorable Krishna Murti et al. (1991); MRAG (1996); Sinha past which has been flowing into the present and con- et al. (1999); Payne et al. (2004); CIFRI (2008); tinues to flow towards the ocean of the future.” Vass et al. (2008, 2010); GOI (2009); Singh et al. (2010); Nautiyal (2010); IIT, Kanpur (2011); Originating in the Himalayas and flowing into WWF (2011b, 2011c, 2012). The ecological the Bay of Bengal, the river negotiates a course of aspects of the Ganges river have been studied by a over 2,500 km through the northern highlands and number of authors, especially after the initiation of plains of north and east India and Bangladesh. The the Ganga Action Plan (GAP- Phase I: of Govt. Ganga basin, which also extends into parts of of India). The team of researchers at Gurukula Nepal, China and Bangladesh, encompasses Kangri University, Haridwar, intensively worked extraordinary variations in altitude, climate, land to achieve the objectives outlined by the Govern- use, flora and fauna, as well as the social and cul- ment of India. Important contributions include tural life of the indigenous people. The basin papers by Joshi et al., (1992a, 1992b, 1993a, accounts for nearly 26 percent of India’s landmass, 1993b, 1993c), which describe the fluctuations 30 percent of its water resources, and over 40 per- found in various biotic and abiotic constituents of cent of its population. Because of its unique the River Ganga. Riverbed quarrying/mining is importance ascribed to reasons that are geographi- causing considerable and diversified problems cal, historical, spiritual, ecological, sociocultural, with regard to the quality, diversity, and loss to ter- and economic, the Government of India, on 20 tiary products, including fish seed (Joshi and Shah, February 2009, declared Ganga as the National 2011). A detailed account of about 30 parameters River of India and created the National Ganga of ecobiological importance has also been River Basin Authority (NGRBA) to safeguard the described by Joshi and Sharma (2011). The current basin by protecting it from pollution and overuse status of phyto-planktonic communities and the (GOI, 2009). The runoff generated by the Himala- impact of mass bathing during grand festivals on yan glaciers feeds several of Asia’s greatest rivers the bank of the River Ganga at Haridwar have including Ganga (Ganges), Sindhu (Indus), and been reported by Bhadula and Joshi (2012) and Brahmaputra, providing water and supporting the Sharma et al. (2012). production of food for over two billion people (WWF, 2005, 2011a). Water from these rivers also feeds “hotspot” regions of biodiversity with some Source and course of the Ganges 10,000 plant species, an estimated 300 mammals, River and almost 1,000 types of birds (Conservation International, 2008). The Ganga commences in the Himalayas at the Though the river Ganga has been extensively confluence of the rivers Alaknanda, Dhauliganga, investigated, major areas of studies have been Mandakini, Pindar and finally Bhagirathi at focused around its hydrological features, and Devaprayag. Bhagirathi is considered to be the assessment of its potential for hydropower genera- main source stream. Gomukh (‘Gou’ means ‘cow’ tion, irrigation, and flood control. Valuable and ‘mukh’ means ‘face’), the terminus of the Downloaded from http://read.dukeupress.edu/aehm/article-pdf/20/1-2/8/888977/8kumar.pdf by guest on 25 September 2021 10 Kumar/Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management 20 (2017) 8–20 Gangotri Glacier, situated at a height of 4255 m Ganga Canal (Bhimgaura Barrage located just and about 18 km from the town of Gangotri, is the upstream of Haridwar), Madhya Ganga Canal (Bij- precise source of the Bhagirathi river. Alaknanda, nore Barrage, essentially a floodwater or kharif another main tributary in the mountainous stretch, canal system) and Lower Ganga Canal (Narora Bar- rises beyond Manna Pass at an altitude of 3123 m rage). A substantial amount of flow is also aug- and about 8 km from Badrinath. From Devaprayag mented through a feeder canal originating from the onwards, the river is known as Ganga in the Indian barrage at Kalagarh on the river Ramganga. This is states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. At introduced into the river Ganga just downstream of Pakur, near Farakka, Ganga starts diverting to Garhmukteshwar to ensure sufficient quantities of form its distributary, Bhagirathi-Hoogly, which water for the Narora Atomic Power Plant. The con- goes on to form the Hoogly River, while the main fluences of Ramganga at Kusumkher, Kali at Kan- branch of Ganga enters Bangladesh as Padma. In nauj, and Yamuna at Allahabad also augment the Bangladesh, it flows 212 km further east to join flow in the river (GOI, 2010). Thus, river flow and with Jamuna at Gualando. It then continues as the water quality are the key concerns in this segment, Padma River for another 100 km to its confluence in addition to the general degradation of the river with Meghna River at Chandpur, before merging system, encroachment of the river bed, gravel/sand into the Bay of Bengal by forming a 354 km wide mining, river-bed farming, pollution, overfishing delta (FAO, 1999).
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