THE Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in the second phase of its survey of the entire main stream of the Ganga river (the main river without its tributaries), has found that 49 per cent of the river has high biodiversity and that biodiversity sightings, including of the Gangetic Dolphin and otters, have increased in the river. Scientists at the institute say that this indicates reducing pollution levels and a healthier state of the river. The study was initiated by WII on behalf of the National Mission for Clean Ganga, one of the flagship projects undertaken by the Ministry of Jalshakti, and the first phase of the survey was carried out between 2017-2019. Freshwater ecosystems account for 0.01% of the earth’s surface water but 10% of species. According to the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), decline in diversity of freshwater species is the highest and surpasses losses in marine and terrestrial species – globally 20% of all known freshwater fish, 44% waterbirds and 42% amphibian species are under threat of extinction.

 

The highest loss of freshwater biodiversity has been reported from the Indian subcontinent, specifically the Gangetic plains. The Ganga and its tributaries flow through 11 States and cover 26.3 per cent of the country’s total geographical area. But its main stream flows through five States — Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. “There was a commonly held belief that there are areas in the Ganga that had no biodiversity. This is not what we have found – the entire river has some biodiversity or the other, and 49 per cent has very high levels of biodiversity. Ten per cent of the high biodiversity areas fall alongside national parks and sanctuaries such as Rajaji national park in Uttarakhand, Hastinapur wildlife sanctuary in UP and Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in Bihar,” said WII scientist Dr Shivani Barthwal.

 

 

The high biodiversity stretches have been divided into six zones – Devprayag to Rishikesh (61 km), Makdumpur to Narora (147 km), Bhitaura to Ghazipur (454 km), Chhapra to Kahalgaon (296 km), Sahibganj to Rajmahal (34 km) and Baharampur to Barackpore (246 km). Rapid biodiversity of the Ganga had revealed that the distribution and density of key aquatic species such as the Gangetic Dolphin, the gharial and the mugger had in earlier years, significantly reduced due to loss of suitable habitat conditions, and change in the river’s morphology due to the construction of dams and barrages, bank alteration, agriculture and sand mining. In the early 19th century, 10,000 Gangetic Dolphins were estimated which reduced to 3,526 by early 2000, disappearing entirely in Haridwar and most of the Yamuna and becoming extinct in smaller tributaries. Even though cleaning the Ganga is a Herculean task besotted with multiple problems like funding, the Government must continue its good work to further reduce the pollution levels in the country’s holiest river.

 

 

The problem is, the factors associated with the pollution of the Ganga are so many and so intricately linked with the socio-cultural complications of the regions the river serves, that it becomes very difficult for any strategist to untangle them all and have a clear picture before setting the task. Crores of rupees have been pumped for the resurrection of the highly polluted river in the last 50 years but the result has been disconcerting. The Ganga continues to be one of the most polluted rivers in the world with faecal and effluent content much above permissible limits. The river water is not even suitable for human bathing, let alone drinking. Millions of people live along the Ganga. Several large cities thrive and flourish on its banks.

 

The livelihood of several million people directly or indirectly depends on the river. Trawlers, steamers and boats run over it, damaging aquatic life. Sand is mined from its bed. People solemnise all their religious and spiritual obligations in the river. The population pressure on it is unimaginable, which is why maintaining it becomes a herculean task. It is very difficult to change people’s habits, especially when it is connected with religious beliefs. The river passes through several states and in cleaning the Ganga the cooperation and contribution of the States hold much significance. Even if the Centre is committed, the States are not always so forthcoming. A river system cannot be cleaned in small patches; it serves no purpose as its effect and influence get limited to an area. A river is an inflow, it is not a static entity enclosed in a limited space.

 

It has to be cleaned up in a synchronised way over a vast spatial mapping. If it is being cleaned up at one end, the other end should also be simultaneously ready to keep the downstream clean. If the other side is lackadaisical, then the effort at the upstream end effectively comes to a nought. There is also a jumble of several organisations and departments trying to do the same thing. This spawns conflict of interests and enhances chances of corruption, also disturbing the rhythm of work. Coordination and effective communication between departments are slack and wobbly. Files keep gathering dust in Government offices before they reach the next level. This leads to inordinate delays, fund lapses and cost escalations. There is no unified command to hold the reins and call for accountability. There is no strong nodal body for all practical purposes to keep the flock together and make things happen. There is no close monitoring and tracing of the progress.

 

Things meander and come through so many layers of approvals, rejections, inspections, legalities and red tape delays that the purpose and topicality of the action are defeated. We have lost so much that time is the crucial player now. If the Ganga is not resurrected in quick time, there is not much we can do anymore. The urgency with which the Government started the Ganga cleansing programme five years back, it seemed that things will finally look up and India will set an example in environment management. But that urgency and alacrity are today lost somewhere. Sometimes there are political compulsions, while at other times it is the legal tussle; sometimes it is the problem of funding, at other times, it is the change of priority and loss in focus. By the way, something or the other always comes in way of restoring the Ganga. But the Ganga will not be forgiving. Millions of lives will perish if the life-giving river perishes.