Ganga at Varanasi: Lessons Unforeseen Consequences
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NOTES all along the 853 km could also lead to Ganga at Varanasi: Lessons unforeseen consequences. The embankment, which would come from Environmental Abuse up as part of the Ganga Expressway, will act as a barrier for the free flow of water current. While the embankment on the Venkatesh Upadhyay left side of the river might block the flow of rain water from reaching the river, the The Ganga continues to be pitomising India’s multicultural raised right bank would also lead to huge threatened by environmentally ethos and syncretism, the river amounts of mud getting deposited on unsustainable development EGanga represents what Jawaharlal the riverbed, thus decreasing the cross- Nehru, famously, called “the very symbol sectional area of the river. Unable to splay projects, of which the Ganga of Indian civilisation”. However, the spir- out its sediments on both of its banks, the Expressway is the most recent itual and cultural lineage of this river has river would naturally deposit its sedi- example. But the campaign to hardly helped to relieve it from the ever- ment load in its channel, thus disrupting save the Ganga is seemingly growing threats of pollution and desicca- the hydrodynamics of the river. It might tion. Despite frequent public pronounce- also lead the river to discharge its water caught in recrimination and ments and resolves, very little is being to escape routes via the tributary streams bad governance. done to rectify the situation both in which would lead to a flooding of nearby terms of public policies and community habitations. responsibilities. Evidently, the Ganga Expressway project In this article, I highlight how the has raised the spectre of desertification in proposed Ganga Expressway spells a grave ways that were never considered during threat to the river. I have also focused on the project’s planning stage (Dwivedi et al the attempts to clean the Ganga at Varanasi 2006: 407-08). The digging up of the and the subsequent problem which people adjoining belt would lead to the creation have faced in doing so. of low lying areas, which would collect rainwater on the offside of the river, thus Ganga Expressway creating huge chunks of sodic and saline The Ganga Expressway is a contentious soil leading to the progressive develop- project which may put the river under ment of a desert area. In addition, the serious risk of desic cation. The project temporary lentic ecosystem will become a launched by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister source of various water-borne diseases Mayawati Kumari in 2007 aims to construct such as dengue, malaria and encephalitis. a 1,047 km access controlled eight-lane “The expressway project is ill-conceived expressway providing high-speed connec- and recklessly planned”, says S N Upadh- tivity between the eastern and western yaya of the Institute of Technology at the boundaries of Uttar Pradesh.1 The officials Banaras Hindu University and the Sankat endorse the project on the ground that the Mochan Foundation (SMF), a non-gov- construction on the river’s left embank- ernmental organisation that is involved in ments would pre-empt floods and ensure improving the water quality of the Ganga in farmers of these areas to cultivate two crops Varanasi. According to Upadh yaya, “This providing much needed succour to the project will consume 58,632,000 sq m of millions residing in the densely populated fertile agricultural land of Doab.2 There is no and chronically poor Ganga-Yamuna Doab. justification to sacrifice such a huge piece The detractors of the project, however, of agricultural land. Billions of tonnes of point out the environmental consequences fertile soil deposited by the Ganga annually of the expressway have not been evaluat- along the river basin would not be of any ed seriously for the river and those who agricultural use. The author is greatly indebted to Armin live by it. They fear that the expressway “This [the project] would also not be Rosenkranz for his encouragement and and its adjoining bridges will prevent the end of the problem. Supposing the support and to Priyanker Upadhyaya for being there. many of the 200-odd tributaries from project is a success and it is able to attract emptying into the Ganga with catastro- the projected 500 large and 7,000 medium Email: [email protected] phic results. Disrupting the flood pathway industries, these would only add to the 64 september 12, 2009 vol xliv no 37 EPW Economic & Political Weekly NOTES pollution and convert the Ganga into a attention. Community-based initiatives like of poor governance on this issue also re- drain” adds Upadhyaya.3 the Clean Ganga Campaign (Swatcha flects on poor community participation. Instead of building new roads, it would Ganga)5 were inaugurated in 1982, follo- The government is not concerned about have been wiser to extend and maintain wed by the launching of the government- the Ganga because the people do not con- the existing roads. The government sponsored Ganga Action Plan (GAP), con- sider it as an important issue. could utilise barren land for this pur- ceived by Rajiv Gandhi in 1986, to create The religious significance of the river pose, where agriculture is not the major treatment facilities for the sewage around has not translated into practical steps to occupation. One such region could be the stretch of the river. The GAP, which keep the river clean. One possible way is to the Jhansi-Allahabad corridor on the was launched with much fanfare, was sensitise the people towards the threats right bank of the Ganga, which falls in the not able to achieve its objectives despite posed by river pollution. “The people are drought-affected Bundelkhand region. a total expenditure of Rs 901.71 crore over very reluctant to believe that the river is in The construction work could offer jobs a period of 15 years.6 dire need of protection. The common be- and facilitate growth around the site. The plan was flawed from the begin- lief is that the river is omnipotent and it is Similarly, the revival of river transport ning as it relied heavily upon the increased ultimately they who are in need of any pro- could be an option offering a low-cost link supply of electricity, which is still to be tection from her ire”, says Karan Madhok,8 between western and eastern flanks of the attained. The failure of GAP I to pre-empt a young journalist of the city. It might state (Dwivedi and Shashi 2008). and treat the flow of sewage in Ganga appear that such anthropo morphisms might It is surprising that the negative environ- prompted many stakeholders to propose be futile at this point but because the mental effects of the Ganga Expressway innovative methods to be included in the Ganga is so inexorably linked in Varanasi project did not attract the public attention. second phase of the GAP. with religion and spirituality that this There was hardly any hue and cry in the One of these proposals came from the aspect must also be explored if a viable media and the politicians from oppo sing SMF. Their model had low operation and solution is to be found. Madhok, however, camps could soon sense that they could maintenance costs and depended least on sensed a dominant feeling of helplessness not draw much political mileage out of external factors such as electricity.7 How- amongst the people: “Most average people this controversy. Is it that the people do ever, the proposal has lingered for a long whom I meet on the beat are just too not care about protecting their natural time in the corridors of the local and state embroiled in their day to day problems to environment or do they find the issue governments seeking an approval over the care much about the river.” secondary to their basic human needs? choice of the nodal agency and appropri- Madhok adds that, unfortunately even Perhaps, a closer look at the campaigns ate technology. The second phase of the those who are well-off remain insensate to protect the Ganga from pollution GAP includes setting up of sewer lines in towards the issue. The same nonchalance would help in understanding the matrix eight cities located on the banks of the marks the attitude of local administration. of public policy issues and community Ganga. The bureaucratic delays in the “People in high posts are just concerned responsibilities. implementation and the mismatch in the with plum positions and pleasing their public-private partnership seem sympto- political bosses”, he adds. Public Attitudes matic of the lack of good governance There also exist administrative incom- Millions of Indians take a holy dip every which plagues India. patibilities where the treatment of rivers year in the Ganga on the unique seven km Pandit Vir Bhadra Mishra of the SMF is around the cities and cleaning of sewers stretch of ghats of Varanasi. But the respect widely seen as the face of the conservation fall under the jurisdiction of the muni cipal for the holy river does not prevent the efforts at Varanasi. He had proposed a authorities but the decision-making powers uninhibited pouring of raw sewage and plan through which all the waste could be are under district officers such as district industrial waste in it. The river is in serious diverted away from the river – much be- magistrates and divisional commissioners. trouble and may desiccate if drastic actions fore the government announced the GAP Garnering political consensus on the are not taken. Latest reports4 state that in 1986. Mishra believes that the glitch is issue also has its share of problems.