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Here is an essay on the ‘Ganga River’ for class 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Find paragraphs, long and short essays on the ‘Ganga River’ especially written for school and college students in Hindi language.
Essay on the Ganga River
Essay # 1. Introduction to the Ganga River :
Our rivers have been most precious to us since times immemorial. The alluvial soil brought by them has made their banks and adjoining plains so fertile that our country would never run short of food and fodder, if we use proper methods of cultivation. That is the reason why we reverse our rivers.
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Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru once observed that he was looking for a man who could write the history of our rivers. Long after his death, turned up a professor who began to narrate his
story of our rivers. Out of 14 major rivers, 12 are defiled with municipal and industrial wastes; the holy river Ganga is at best a sewage east of Sues. Waves of concern rippled through the country.
None could challenge the scientific data collected with utmost silence and meticulously collated. He worked out the conceptual remedy to restore Ganga to her health. It is now known as the ‘Action Plan for the prevention of pollution of the Ganga’. It was initially Professor Nilay Chaudhri who thought of this.
The river Ganga, the life-line of millions of people has, over the years, been subjected to tremendous pressures Most of its water in the upper reaches is diverted into canals; untreated sewage and industrial effluents are dumped into the river at numerous places and the residues of pesticides and insecticides used in the forms are washed into it.
This situation, already one of alarming proportions has been further aggravated by deforestation resulting in silting, floods and reduced navigational possibilities.
Recognising the magnitude of this problem, and realising the importance of water quality as a cardinal element of management, the Government of India, in February, 1985 set up the Central Ganga Authority for the planning and execution of a time bound programme to prevent the pollution of the river Ganga which is now better known as ‘Ganga Action Plan’.
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The basic principle for the plan is simple. The stoppage of discharge of sewage and sullage would reduce the pollution by almost 75 per cent. Class I cities (population over one lakh), 29 in number, cover 82.3 per cent of the total urban population living in urban settlements on the river banks. The volume of sewage produced by them constitutes 88.5 per cent of the total volume of sewage flowing into the river. The construction of interceptors to divert the flow of sewage and other liquid wastes from Ganga is probably the surest way to reduce the pollution load. The proposal does not stop at that.
The dirty black sewage is simultaneously obnoxious and a resource. It is a very rich source of energy (through the production of biogas) and manuriol matter whose utilisation can increase the crop yield substantially. The action Plan envisages construction of treatment plants. “Each treatment location should be viewed as a factory for resource recycling where sewage is the raw material, and energy in the form of biogas, manure, poultry feed, fish, and irrigant are marketable products. The items of resource recovery should not be an afterthought but an integral part of the scheme.”
Essay # 2. Ganga – The Holy River:
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No river evokes such feelings in the human mind as the Ganga does. She is loved not only by the Hindus but also by non-Hindus including the non-religious people for one reason or another. And all this just because she is ‘Ganga’. Indeed, it is difficult to explain the charm she exudes, but the fact remains that the charm has remained intact through the centuries despite all the scientific progress that has taken place and the debunking religion has come in for.
A British scientist was once shocked when he learnt of an Indian colleague taking a dip in the Ganga on an auspicious evening; he wondered how superstition had prevailed over science. What is even more interesting is the case of a non-Hindu, Russian scientist who plunged into the Ganga when someone pointed out the holy river to him. One wonders what the British scientist would have to say had he seen the sight. But then love is beyond reason.
The very name ‘Ganga’ conjures up a picture of holiness’ of a peace and joy, of beauty and sweetness, of all that is uplifting to the mind of a Hindu. She is not just a river, she is a symbol of something higher than what the world has to offer. If Himalaya is a yogin steeped in meditation, Ganga, rising from his heart is the culmination of that meditation. She is a blessing for all, good or bad.
Flowing through the plains that gives India both physical and spiritual nourishment. She is, in short, her life and soul. She is the bridge between heaven and earth. She is civility in the form of water, according to Shri Ramakrishna, industries may pollute her water but she remain as holy as ever, retaining her sanctifying dowers.
According to Jawaharlal Nehru, the stay of Ganga is the story of India’s civilisation and culture. It is indeed so, for India and Ganga both seem to be marching towards common goal, the goal of truth. When she falls from the Himalayas, she is a tiny stream but when she meets the sea she becomes infinite. And it is by attaining this infinity that she attains liberation, for there are no more banks to limit her size. Truth is another name for infinity. So it is truth that both India and Ganga are seeking.
But how does one attain truth? By renouncing that which is finite, small and transient. As if to remind one of this, the waters of the Ganga have a yellow, gerua-like look, emphasising that truth is above everything else and that truth can be attained any through renunciation. Ganga is holy because she conveys this message.
Truth is also India’s eternal message. God and truth are synonymous to a Hindu, the Ganga is dear to him because she is his mother, one who not only protects and reins him but also teaches and guides, it is difficult to imagine Hinduism without Ganga. According to Swami Vivekananda, the Gita and Ganga constitute, between themselves, the essence of Hinduism one its theory, and the other its practice.
Essay # 3. Ganga – From Gomukh to Bay of Bengal:
The Ganga rises in the snowbound heights of the Himalayas, nearly 4000 metres above sea level, from a dark. Icy cavern shaped like the mouth of a cow (known as Gomukh).
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It protrudes out of 100 m high and drops sills of – ice and sheets of water. On the other side of the snout, is the Gangotri glacier which is more than 30 km, in length, 2 km, in breadth and 1000 feet in depth. How gigantic an ice-stream it is, so long, so wide and so deep! It is said to be a remnant of the last ice age.
From Gomukh, the Bhagirathi flows on, now an imperious river, now a cool crystal cascade, now a fuming, roaring torrent pushing on moraines, kicking off boulders and crashing ice till it joins the Alaknanda of Dev Prayag. From there onwards, the river calms down a bit and is called the Ganga.
The Alaknanda is also a very holy river, it rises from a glacier lying on the eastern face of the Chauknambha mountain. The Alaknanda is joined by a small river the Dhauliganga at Vishnu Prayag, by the Burhi Ganga at Guptaprayag, by the Nandakini at Nandprayag by the Pineda at Karanprayag and by the Manciakind at Rudra prayag. All these prayagas are considered holy by the hindus ; so is Devprayag. There are six prayagas in the Himalayas. The seventh once is at Allahabad where the Ganga is joined by The Yamuna. After Allahabad, down the stream there are no prayagas though many rivers fall into the Ganga.
The Ganga and its tributaries have a peculiar tendency to flow for some distance parallel to the Himalayan ranges if deep ravines but then they take acute band and flow in deep gorges transversely. These gorges are sometimes hundreds or metres deep and appear awesome from above, and the river below looks like a thread.
One other feature of these rivers which may be interesting to you is that the Bhagirathi flows initially from east to west and then takes a turn from west to east, whereas Alaknanda flows initially from west to east and then turns, and flows east to west till it joins the Bhagirathi at Devprayag. Thus, these two rivers flowing in opposite directions join to form a garland at Devprayag.
At Devaprayag, the Bhagirathi is joined by the Alakananda (which originates above Badrinath near the Indo-Tibet border and receives the waters of Mandakini at Rudraprayag) to form the great Ganga river.
From a swift moving stream the Ganga grows into a wide river just before it touches the plains at Rishikesh. Then begins its over 2000 km-long journey through the heart Of India, the Indo-Gangetic plain—before it falls into the Bay of Bengal.
The Ganga enters plains at Hardwar which is called ‘Haridwar’ by the Vaishnavites and ‘Hardwar’ by the Shaivites, for the word ‘Hari’ means Vishnu and ‘Har’ Shiva, and ‘Dwar’ means gate. From Hardwar, the Ganga starts slowing down its pace. Its speed is reduced substantially at Kanpur and Allahabad, and is further reduced at Patna and still further at Monghyr. After that, the Ganga flows very sluggishly till it falls into the Bay of Bengal.
On its way, the Ganga is joined by many rivers – by the Ram Ganga at Kannauj, and by the Yamuna and the mythical, invisible Saraswati at Allahabad.
After Allahabad, the Ganga receives several major tributaries at more frequent intervals– the Tons and Sone, the Gomti, the Ghagra, the Gandak, the Burhi Gandak and the Kosi.
Further east, beyond Farakka in Bangladesh, the Ganga branches into the Padma. Here, once again, Ganga takes the name Bhagirathi and winds down the last stretch-the delta of West Bengal, before it merges with the Bay of Bengal under the name Hooghly.
In its 2525 km long course, the Ganga dramatically varies her pace and form. No more than a few feet wide in the Himalayas, it is a tumbling, boisterous stream in the hills, and a deep, fast flowing river at Rishikesh where it enters the plains. In the plains of Uttar Pradesh, it is a bed of sand in summer. In Bihar, it is a vast expanse of water, 4 to 14 kilometers in width.
The tributaries of the Ganga account for 60% of the total water of the river. Though the Ganga and the Yamuna are often referred to as the twin sisters, in terms of flow, Ghagra is the more important tributary—20% of the Ganga waters are fed by Ghagra as against 16% by the Yamuna.
Essay # 4. Ganga – Its Importance:
No other river affects the lives of so many people in so many states of India as the Ganga. It is the largest river basin in our country covering over one-fourth of its total surface area. From the source to the sea via the Bhagirathi-Hooghly it is a run of over 2,500 km.
The Ganga is among the first 10 mighty rivers in the world in average annual run-off measured in terms of thousand million cubic meters. Its basin has a total population of nearly 45 million, of which about 50 per cent live in Uttar Pradesh, ten per cent in Bihar and 40 per cent in West Bengal.
It is obvious why the fate of such a river should be equated with the destiny of the millions who live on her banks or its numerous tributaries; why fluctuations in its flow are watched over with so much anxiety, its pollution creates, near-panic and share of its water among contending claimants generates so much of heat.
Strictly speaking, there are eight states in India which form parts of the Ganga basin, or more precisely, together act as the catchment area of the main river. But the recipients of major benefits are, by and large, only the three states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.
Among all the river basins in India, the Ganga basin has the largest irrigation facilities in which canals play a dominant role. There are four major irrigation projects in operation, all in U.P. viz., the Upper Ganga Canal System, Lower Ganga Canal System, the three pumped canal System, the three pumped canal schemes of Dalmau, Bhoupali and Zamania and the Ramganga project, to increase the irrigation capacity of the Upper and Lower Canal Systems.
To augment further the role of the Upper and Lower Canal Systems, the Tehri Dam and the Kotli Bhel Dam are being constructed. Moreover, a new canal system is now being introduced in Uttar Pradesh known the Madhya Ganga Canal System. Thus, it is obvious that the entire irrigation system of U P. hinges on the supply of water from the Ganga.
If the Ganga is the mainstay of irrigation in U.P. it has been a supplier of precious fresh water to industries in all the three riparian states. According to a survey conducted by the Central Water and Power Commission, the hydro-power generation potential of Ganga lies mainly in the U.P Himalayas and this has been largely neglected area. However, four major thermal power plants in the country depend on Ganga water — at Pankhi in Kanpur, Barauni in Bihar, Farakka in Murshidabad and Bendel in Hooghly.
Uttar Pradesh is a growing industrial state and is favoured by large investments from the Centre. Kanpur is well-known for its cotton, jute and woolen textiles, Varanasi for silk and light engineering Allahabad for light engineering while Hardwar has made its mark on the industrial map of India for the production of antibiotics and heavy electricals. Moreover, U.P. is one of the principal sugar producing states in the country with factories dotting the banks of the Ganga throughout its 1,500 kilometer run in the state.
Comparatively speaking, Bihar is neither a substantial user of Ganga water for irrigation nor for industries. In its 450 kilometres stretch through Bihar, only in Patna and Bhagalpur are there are some uses by small and light engineering industries.
West Bengal’s industrial economy, on the other hand, has been largely dependent on Ganga water since the founding of Calcutta nearly 300 years ago. For the Calcutta Metropolitan District, the hub of industries in the state, the prime supplier of water is the Ganga. Decrepit but still the most important agro- jute is concentrated on the banks of the Bhagirathi Hooghly together with a large number of light and medium engineering factories.
It is generally not realised that though not comparable to the needs of agriculture, industry also requires a significant amount of fresh water. By 1980 the total requirement of such water in the country was about 12,000 – 15,000 million cubic metre and at the end of this century this amount is expected to go to 35,000 million cubic metres. The share of the three riparian Ganga states will be considerable, particularly of UP and Bihar, because the CMD has almost reached saturation point in industrial congestion.
The third important area of the Ganga’s contribution to the north Indian economy is supplying water for domestic and municipal requirements. One would do well to remember that the Ganga plain has the highest concentration of people in India. It has 29 class cities, 71 class II and class III towns and numerous small towns belonging to Census categories of IV, V and VI. But more numerous are its rural population.
It is assumed that domestic requirements of water for urban and rural populations in a tropical country like India are 60 gallons per day per capita for the former and half of that for the latter. It has also been calculated that by the end of this century the demand for domestic water from the Ganga will rise to about 62,000 million cubic metres. U.P. once again, will be the major claimant for the supply of such water.
Lastly, there is the demand for navigation, particularly for the existence of the Calcutta Haldia Port complex. The quantum agreed upon by all experts is a minimum flow of 45,000 cusecs all the year round through the river at the Calcutta port site. Add to this the needs of fish, wildlife and for recreation.
If we calculate the existing share of the different demands on Ganga water, it becomes clear that of present the largest claimant (over 75 per cent) is irrigation, the rest being shared among industries, domestic and municipal demands, power and transportation. It is obvious that this is on unbalanced situation and that with such an overwhelming demand for Ganga water by agriculture, particularly in the upper reaches of the river, the crisis of the Calcutta-Haldia port complex is bound to persist and deepen. Such is the role of the Ganga in India’s life.
The alarm sounded about Ganga water pollution has lately added to the complexity of the present situation. To maintain and strengthen the vital role played by the Ganga in the life and economy of the country, a four-pronged approach has been advocated by experts. The first among these concerns the problem of augmentation of flow in the river, which is the most vital single step for its rejuvenation. The second aims at pollution control. The third and the fourth deal with the controlled use of water not only territorially, but all sectorally.
It is known that despite its being a flow resource of considerable magnitude, the increasing demand of the growing population in its basin makes this resource increasingly more scarce in the lean months when the volume of flow is substantially reduced. With the onset of the rainy season and extended over to a few months afterwards the flow is much more than we shall be able to consume even with higher demands in future. Most of it flows into the sea.
The problem is to prevent this waste; to use the excess water to augment the flow in the dry period, thus ensuring a continuous and steady supply of Ganga water throughout the year.
This involves detailed planning for the storage of excess water by a string of dams all along the Himalayan foothills in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and possibly a linkage between the Brahmaputra and the Ganga. There is already a proposal of a system of interlinking canals to pour the surplus flow of the Kosi, Gandak, Burhi Gandak and the Ghagra to the west into the Ganga, construction of a number of dams in Nepal Tehri and at other places.
The scheme is time consuming and entails heavy expenditure. But it can be phased out in the coming plan periods as we have done in many cases.
Two other aspects of the plan for the Ganga should be to introduce rational use of water sectorally as well as territorially. In all advanced countries, river water is budgeted carefully and allocations made for the four major users-agriculture, industry domestic and municipal requirement sand transport. Runaway use by one sector at the expense of all others is not allowed, for in the ultimate cost benefit accountancy, it is not only wasteful but also extremely dangerous and harmful for the country in the long run.
Same is the problem with territorial distribution of possible uses. Even leaving out the knotty question of whether the Ganga is an international river and whether there should be proper sharing of its water between different countries, the fact remains that the Ganga certainly is an interstate river and that all users have the same claim over its water.
Such claims cannot be wished away as narrow, regional or parochial. There is as much justification for U.P. farmers to draw irrigation water from the Ganga as the people of Bihar asking a much larger share of this water for agriculture and industry or the people of West Bengal petitioning for 40,000 cusecs all the year round to save the Calcutta-Haldia port complex.
Unfortunately for us, Indian planning so far has been largely one sided and partial depending on the strength of the lobby which can move the planning mechanism of the Union government most effectively. Take for example the case of irrigation projects.
One very competent and high-placed officer in the Union ministry of agriculture wrote that our irrigation plans were drafted in isolation and failed to take note of the many other vital questions linked with the construction of dams and canals for the use of water.
As for example, our irrigation projects plan for the supply of water but not drainage, construct dams but do not envisage maintenance of water sheds, dig the main canals but do not plan detailed field distribution, avoid making conjunctive use of surface and ground water in order at conserve our water resources to the maximum possible extent, supply water to one region and forget about the others.
So far the line has been to use short cuts without a comprehensive understanding of the problem. The result may prove to be disastrous in the coming years of which there are ample indications already. It is, therefore, of utmost importance to realise that a proper regional and sectoral budget for the use of Ganga water is in the interest of the nation as a whole.
Lastly comes the question of pollution. So much has been written on Ganga water pollution in recent months that we need not elaborate on the problem here. It can be noted that though pollution of Ganga water is a big problem by itself, it cannot be tackled seriously without augmenting the flow or maintaining a strict control on the use of its waters by sectors or regions
In short, there is a strong case of advocating a policy of planned use, conservation and development of Ganga water. Not only to meet the problems of today but more so of the future. A piecemeal approach, which has become the practice with our policy-makers, may irreparably damage this supremely important flow resource of India and deliver a crippling blow to the health and economy of one of the largest and most densely settled river valleys in the world.