Friday, March 13, 2015

Reference List

http://www.arlingtoninstitute.org/wbp/global-water-crisis/606
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2011/05/27/india-the-national-ganga-river-basin-project
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09603120500538226#abstract

Conclusion

In our opinion, the pollution crisis in the Ganges River will never be fully resolved.  Pollutions levels are at such a high amount that it would require an extreme amount of time and money to properly clean the river in its entirety.  In fact, amounts of pollution will continue to rise as the country becomes more developed, populations continue rising, and more industries and factories are placed along the river.  If actions are not taken to help control pollution and to start cleaning up the river, ecosystems, businesses, religious traditions, and human health will continue to be disrupted.  Some lessons to be learned from this environmental issue are to recognize when a problem begins to get out of control.  It is important to target the main sources of pollution and enact measures to control them prior to the escalation at which levels of pollution in the Ganges River are at now. 


Solutions


Solutions for this problem have been growing slim, there is almost nothing solving the problem in the Ganges River . The Ganga Action Plan in 1986 aimed to fix the pollution problem in the river, which was led to huge costs on the government.  The plan was withdrawn in March of 2000, with little hope as population and waste was still on the rise.  In December of 2004 the World Bank donated one billion dollars over the course of 5 years for the cleanup of the river. This includes water quality monitoring and technical assistance for city service providers and environmental regulators. Another project is called Namani Ganga which cost 334 million in July of 2014 which promised to clean the Ganges in three years, though little is known about it, or what it involves. Another plan is to dam the river between Varanasi and Hooghly, and like said before, would dam the river off, creating energy from the river. The Ganges River is quite difficult to clean up with current cost of technology and India’s infrastructure. The dumping of waste, along with common use like bathing, cleaning, and the Hindu tradition, makes it difficult to stay clean. With the growing population and dependence on the river, India risks poisoning the water more, if no solution is completed.

Larger Consequences of the Problem


One of the larger threats that will hit India is the access to clean water. India is home to one of the largest populations and the access to clean water is a growing threat.  The Ganges is the main source of water, with more that 400 million people affected by it. With climate change, CO2 is on the rise which is increasing temperature levels. With rising temperatures, this could affect rainfall and diminish water levels in the future. With the lack of access to clean drinking water, and population on the rise, this could spill news of catastrophe. The Ganges River is a very biodiverse river, home to a rich variety of species. With the growing population and dependence on the river for dumping, cleaning, and bathing, this has led to the rivers pollution. The Ganges River is the 5th most polluted river behind the Yellow River, Yamuna River, Citarum River, and Mississippi River. Ideas have been thought up by the Modi government to set up dams, 16 to be precise. The dams would ruin the river for the environment, as well as ruin the spirituality of the river. If the dams were to be set up, it could turn the river into 16 small ponds. If this were to happen, this would be a huge consequence for the rivers ecosystem, which would make many species go extinct. The Ganges is going to be a growing problem in the future, and many of benefits from the river will be stripped because of human behavior. The Ganges was once a clean river, but risks losing ecosystems and species in the future if things don’t change. 

Ganges River Being Used for Religious Rituals

Google Images: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02450/India-Kumbh-Mela-p_2450883k.jpg

Water Pollution Disease Incidents in Specific Neighborhoods of Varanasi, India

Google Images: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09603120500538226#abstract

Kanpur Leather Industry Chemical Drain

Google Images: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcGkX1lPIjoS0o_AWSClvc8sTetcKpPjNPgU_ZWCMtj8eS3KxLj5x5Tc4_ziX6t1hz-6Ig5hMjPVWD_xZQCCORd-Xi_56JeJ8n-AB-FXZujXDyOMrO4IqCvIitL9PbYCZ8q_fjFzPFk8/s1600/footwear+times.jpg