Question

You are aware of the fact that the river ‘Ganga’ is one of the most polluted rivers of our country. State any four ways that you would suggest to make it pollution free.

Answer 1

1. to prohibit discharging of untreated waste material in the river.
2. to prohibit the discharging of domestic waste in the river.
3. to start campaigns for awareness among the people about its pollution.
4. to set up authorities for cleaning the river.

Answer 2

Traversing over 2,500 km, from the Gangotri glacier in the Himalayas to the Sunderbans delta in Bangladesh, the Ganga is used by hundreds of millions of people. This is one of the few river basins in India that is rich in water resources but highly polluted. How did one of the world’s mightiest rivers end up as a garbage dump?

Issues affecting the river are myriad and complex. Untreated sewage and industrial waste are dumped into the waters without remorse. Reduced flow and rampant underground water withdrawals affect millions of people who depend on the river’s water. Further, floods and droughts, which endanger lives and cause serious damage to crops, livestock and infrastructure, are a common phenomenon in the river basin. A changing climate will pose more challenges. The combination of glacial retreat, decreasing ice mass, early snowmelt and increased winter stream flow will add to the pressure. There is now clear evidence that climate change is already affecting the Himalayan ice cover. This will have a profound impact on the river.