We have got so many systems in place. The blue has always attracted us. Blue is not only a colour but also a perceptual post shaped by wavelength, atmosphere and human cognition. It occupies the shorter end of the visible spectrum, yet in cultural imagination it expands far beyond physics, becoming a metaphor for depth, calm, distance and introspection. In this context, water is not a color but a medium, material, dynamic and formless. Yet it often appears blue not inherently, but through the selective absorption and scattering of light. In this sense, blue is not a property of water but a visual consequence of interaction between light and liquid depth. The idea of Ganga and reality of it absorb all these.
The holy Ganges is one of the most powerful drainage systems in our country. Over and above, water giver, the river represents a collective instrument of faith, culture, salvation and civilization. The river carries a balanced blend of happiness and hopes. The most inertia driven by our human spirit and refreshing engagements are proven pebbles and stones from riverbeds. Its significance also lies in augmenting yields from agriculture, industries, transport networks, fisheries and livelihoods for approximately 43% of our population.
Besides potability and medicinal use of its water, it also contributes to the production of rice, wheat, vegetables, fruits etc. by low-cost farmland irrigation. In fact, farmers’ income is influenced by the quality of river flow in states of the order of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The agricultural output in our country is contingent upon proximity with rivers. This is the key rationale why many hitherto civilizations have grown on the banks of one river or the other.
As a result, many cities have grown and prospered on the bank of Ganga River. The cities such as Rishikesh, Haridwar, fringes of Moradabad, Kanpur, Pryagraj, Varanasi, Patna and Kolkata have received substantial spur from flow of holy Ganges. In this sequence, the mighty and fearless Ganges flows as the cultural capital of our country where different occasions are celebrated across its ghats, transforming the landscape as a melting pot unlocking civility, equity, integration and harmony. The Ganga ghats also serve as the happening spot for people who set up their different business ventures. The retailers also harvest opportunities of sustaining their livelihoods.
The usage of Ganga water goes beyond any limit. The flow of Ganga water is used as the inland water ways. The inland water ways have cascading effect on the reduction of green houses gases, global warming and climate change. The transportation used in waterways has least traffic and minimal requirement of energy as compared to roadways etc. If the flow of Ganga River is maintained to its standard, it can substantially reduce the transportation costs and would promote livelihood opportunities to sizable size of our population.
The fact that the economic vitality of Ganga remains vulnerable to pollution, untreated sewage, industrial effluents, encroachment and declining ecological flows. These issues impose draconian opportunity costs when its flows are disturbed. The polluted water escalates expenditure on health care, reduces agricultural productivity and low yields from the fisheries. It also decelerates tourism revenue and burdened with economic liability.
The Ganga and its tributaries promote industrial growth in our country by facilitating many industrial sectors, viz. textiles, leather, food processing and power production.
In fact, the Ganga basin generates approximately 11764.5 MLD of sewage. The treatment plants set-up does not have 100% treatment facilities. A total of 136 STPs are operational with about 3780 MLD capacity under Namami Ganga Programme, as of 2025. Approximately 70% to 80% of Ganga pollution originates from untreated domestic sewage rather than industrial waste or religious activities. As such, so much of waste enters into the river untreated. The population of 43% survive on 23% of the land area where there is heavy pressure on the river. Many stretches sporadically exceed mandated limit of biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and fecal coliform bacteria informing organic pollution and sewage contamination. In the highest polluted stretches of the river, fecal coliform counts have exceeded 80,000 MPN/100 ml, over 160 times the bathing standard. In fact, the bathing standard is 500 MPN per 100ml.
The effluent discharge of Industrial settings is not properly monitored to reduce the intensity of pollution into its water. The Ganga basin accounts for world’s highest degree of ground water extraction, threatening long term water security. The number of Dolphins remain vulnerable despite conservation efforts executed. During the acute summers, barrage and irrigation reduce and substantially reduce the natural river flow. Floods in the basin cause economic losses worth thousands of crores of rupees which traumatize millions of people when they perceive the impact individually. Significantly, Himalayan glaciers feeding the ganga system are experiencing long term retreat affecting future river hydrology and water availability.
The mode and conduction within which the river system operates may face higher loss of fisheries income, reduced tourism revenue, increased drinking water treatment costs and agricultural productivity loss.
Thanks to Government of India for launching its initiatives under National Mission for Clean Ganga. The mission has significantly promoted Ganga rejuvenation through Aviral, Nirmal, Gyan, Jana and Artha Ganga. The Aviral Ganga is about continuous flow with an objective to ensure ecological sustainability. The Nirmal Ganga unfolds clean Ganga with an objective to curb and control pollution. The Gyan Ganga is about knowledge and research to ensure scientific management. The Jan Ganga calls upon people’s participation with an objective to have social ownership and Artha Ganga deals with incentives to be harvested from the river to promote blue economy.
Investments in sewage treatment plants, riverfront development, biodiversity conservation and public sensitization should not be viewed as short-term economic investments. These investments have perennial impact on our life and legacy. The social return on such investment is fathomless. The magnitude of immediate co-benefits of such investments is incredibly far-reaching. Every rupee spent on river restoration generates returns through improved public health, enhanced productivity, increased tourism and sustainable livelihoods.
The need of the hour is to encourage sustainable agriculture, eco-tourism, wastewater management, river-based livelihoods. It really requires a concerted approach. An approach that can bring all stakeholders on the same page. There should be open discussion on the issues and challenges the river is facing. The initiative can be successful when multilevel stakeholders are engaged in the venture.
Indeed, our economic aspiration and health of the river is inextricably intermingled. A clean and rejuvenated Ganga can contribute to food security, employment generation, climate resilience and regional development. In otherwise case, a degraded river would impose a heavy toll on the rising social and economic costs of our future generations. Protecting the Ganga is not only an environmental imperative, it is one of the smartest economic investments India can make in the twenty-first century. Our country can progress only through the ecologically sensitive and spiritually cultivated framework. Let’s be an active participant to this drive!
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
