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Ganges Save campaign "Under the leadership of Baba Ramdev"
Save Ganges campaign in Varanasi
Children of seers'
families in Varanasi along with school children took to the banks of river Ganga
to save the river. On the call of the yoga guru, Baba Ramdev, these child- priests have pledged to save the river.
As part of the campaign, pressure groups across India have decided to hold rallies on to submit charters listing the demands of the
'Ganga Raksha Manch', a committee that is spearheading the save
Ganges campaign. "Under the leadership of Baba Ramdev, we are taking out this march. All of us who love Ganga have got together to save this river," said Swami
Abhimukteshwaranand, a seer. -ANI
Chhath Puja on Ganga
Ghat
"He chhathi maiya, tohe
arag chhadaib", "Maiya ke arag chhadaib, suruj ke arag chhadaib" - these are songs that may seem strange to a swanky, modern crowd, but
is heartfelt music to the lakhs of Chhath Puja lovers who have been gearing up for next week’s festival, right after Diwali.
On the fourth day of the Shukla Paksha (full moon fortnight) of the most pious month of the Sak Samvat calendar - Kartik - lakhs of
devotees along the Indo- Gangetic plains, chiefly Bihar and eastern Uttar
Pradesh, begin the four-day Chhath festival, in keeping with a
tradition that goes back into ancient times, thus carrying forward
India’s living tradition of worshipping the divine creator and nourisher - the Sun God.
Efforts to save the Ganga with sadhus from Rishikesh and
Haridwar, including yoga guru Baba Ramdev, joining the fight and declaring the formation of the Ganga Raksha
Manch.
"Chak De Ganga"
was the slogan raised by Swami Chidananda of Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh, in efforts to save the Ganga.
Gai Ghat Pana to observe Ganga Dussehra along with hundreds of other devotees in the city.
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Kolkata, June 6, 2008: CNN-IBN-Outlook State of the Environment Poll has found that 77 per
cent people have voted cleaning of rivers by government as the top priority.
The findings are especially significant in Kolkata as its main river Hooghly is
congested with solid waste and effluents. It is said that the character of a city is best judged by how well it maintains
its sea or river front.
For environment activist Subhash Dutta it's been a lonely battle fought by the
Green Bench at Kolkata High Court, trying to keep up a brave and a clean
riverfront. "It is being fouled institutionally and individually. Ninety per cent of
industrial and untreated sewer being dumped in it is only making the river unholy," Dutta laments.
The romantic image of Hooghly is dumped rapidly as it gets fouled by 860 million
litre of untreated sewage daily through sewer outlets flowing into the river.
Ganga Monitoring Committee member of the Environment Department of West Bengal
government Biswajit Mukherjee says, "Twenty-Twenty five years is nothing to curb
pollution. How could I solve all the problems?"
The city believes Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) and its
municipalities take care of most of the sewage disposal. They remain shockingly
unaware that they too have a liberal hand in its abuse.
VARANASI May 5, 2009:
River Ganga remains highly polluted even after being
declared the 'National River' by the Central Government. Acharya Jitendra, president, Ganga Mahasabha, a voluntary organization working for saving the Ganga said, "Nearly 243 dams are slated to be constructed on the tributaries of the Ganga in
Uttarakhand. This will obstruct the flow of water into the main river. So obviously, there will be sand dunes and the water level will be low. If the tributaries don't release water into the river, how will there be water in the Ganga.
VARANASI, April 25, 2009: A study of American scientists at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research
(NCAR) suggests that there is a reduced flow in many rivers of the world and it is associated with climate change. The study is also applied on the
Ganga, the lifeline of millions of people living in its plane. Not only NCAR scientists, but the World
Wildlife Fund (WWF), the global conservation organisation, also reports that the Ganga has been enlisted on the list of 10 most
endangered rivers of the world.
Govt announces pilot study on impact of dams on Ganga river
New Delhi, November 25, 2008: The Indian government has announced a pilot study ahead
of a comprehensive plan, to assess whether dams being constructed on the Ganga
and its tributaries in Uttarakhand could dry the river downstream, along towns
such as Varanasi and Allahabad in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.
According to the minutes of an October ministry of environment and forests, or
MoEF, meeting reviewed by Mint, such an assessment would be extended to the
entire Uttarakhand stretch of the river, based on the results of a preliminary
study on the Gangotri-Dharasu stretch on the Bhagirathi, a tributary of the
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Stop polluting Ganga or be ready to face action: Government
Kanpur, August 28, 2010 (PTI): The government on Saturday warned factories and tanneries,
which discharge waste without treatment into the Ganga, and said action to
shut them would be initiated if they continue to do the same.Ganga is getting polluted day-by-day. Nearly 170 factories and
tanneries located between Kannauj and Varanasi, covering an area of 450
km, were found responsible for polluting the river by discharging wastes
into it without treatment,” Union Minister for Environment and Forests
Jairam Ramesh told reporters on August 28, 2010
Ganga continues to rise
Varanasi, August 27, 2010: The Ganga continued to rise in Varanasi on
Thursday. The water level recorded an increase of 0.340-metre in the
past 24 hours. The river was flowing at 64.530- metre on Thursday in
Varanasi while five days back, on August 22, the water level was
63.310- metre. According to the records of the Central Water Commission
(CWC), a rise in water level of 0.850 was recorded in the past 48 hours
in Varanasi while the river swelled up to 1.220-metre in the past five days.
GoM scrapped the NTPC hydel project on Bhagirathi river
NEW DELHI, August 21, 2010: Keeping religious sentiments and environmental concerns in
view, a Group of Ministers (GoM) on Friday scrapped the NTPC's controversial 600 MW
Loharinag Pala hydel project on Bhagirathi river in Uttarakhand.Headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, the GoM in a meeting made a
detailed re-examination of the project and recommended that the hydro-power dam, the work on which had been under suspension for
sometime, should be scrapped. Two projects on Bhagirathi -- 480 MW Pala Maneri and 381 MW Bhairon
Ghati hydel projects proposed by the state government have already been
scrapped by the GoM. A large number of religious leaders had also been protesting against the
proposed dam, claiming that it will threaten the existence of the river
and block free flow of Ganga, which is considered holy by the Hindus.
Source: The Times of India
Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev staged a sit-in protest at
Haridwar
Haridwar, Aug 10 (ANI): Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev staged a sit-in protest at
Haridwar with a demand to halt the hydropower projects across River Ganga and also to protect the river from further exploitation and
pollution.
Several Hindu monks also accompanied Baba Ramdev in this crusade."The aim is that, seven days ago, a letter had been written to President
that if government doesn't take any action for the assurance of the
purity and cleanliness of the River Ganga and also if the government
doesn't take any action to stop the ongoing and upcoming projects
over the river we will stage a protest in Haridwar," said Baba
Ramdev.
Nitish's Bihar builds one bridge a day
Patna, August 3, 2010 (IANS): Bihar, now ranked among the fastest-growing Indian states with
an enviable expansion of 16.59 percent last fiscal, has been building
one bridge each working day since November 2005, leaving Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar quite busy cutting ribbons. "We have built 1,671 bridges under the Chief Minister's Bridge Building
Programme and another 450-odd bridges under our plan and non-plan outlays since November 2005," says Bihar Road Construction Department
Secretary Pratyay Amrit. "We built more than 2,100 bridges in last four-and-a-half years. That
makes it close to one-and-a-half bridges every day." Amrit said.
Over 100 hydro projects in Uttarakhand blocked
NEW DELHI. July 16, 2010: More than 100 hydroelectric projects planned by the
Uttarakhand government are in jeopardy. The Union environment and forests ministry's Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) has decided not to
give forest clearance to any of the proposed projects until the National
Ganga River Basin Authority conducts a cumulative impact assessment study of all proposed dams.
Uttarakhand has planned to build 300 small and large dams on the various
tributaries of the Ganga to tap the hydel potential of the state. The
FAC has decided not to allow even one dam to proceed unless the total
impact of all proposed dams is studied.
Thousands of fish die in Ganga
Muzaffarnagar, July 12, 2010 (PTI): Thousands of fish died due to discharge of poisonous
water from industries at Shukartal in the district following which an
inquiry has been ordered into the incident, officials said here today.
Walkway for pedestrians along the river Ganga
PATNA, July 1, 2010: The state urban development department has mooted an ambitious plan to
develop a walkway for pedestrians along the river Ganga. The proposed walkway, six metres wide, would stretch out on a 5.5 km
length from the Collectorate Ghat to the Gai Ghat. A part of riverfront
development programme, the pathway would also be of great convenience to
those visiting the river bank during festivals like Chhath, Public utility apart, the walkway would help in preventing disposal of
solid waste into the river or on the bank and likely to check encroachments on the river bank. |
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Statue of Goddess Ganga at the Sangam
ALLAHABAD, June 20, 2010: The Prayag Sangam Aarti Samiti has decided to install a
statue of Goddess Ganga at the Sangam. The spot would later be developed
into a temple, samiti convenor Arun Kishore Khanna told newspersons here
on Saturday. He said that the samiti is committed towards keeping the holy river
clean and free from pollution in view of the Mahakumbh in 2013. It would
regularly organise `maha-aarti and `deepdaan' from June 21.
Centre says no to hydro project in Uttarakhand
New Delhi, June 17, 2010: The environment ministry has rejected a major hydro project planned on
river Gori Ganga in Uttarakhand, saying it would destroy the valley’s
fragile ecosystem. The ministry’s Forest Advisory Committee shot down the National Thermal
Power Corporation’s (NTPC) proposal to construct a 261MW power plant on
the Gori Ganga, which finally merges with the Ganga. The corporation had proposed diversion of 217 hectares of forest for
construction of the Rupsiabagar-Kasiyabara hydro projects in Pithoragarh
district. The government has planned eight major and 18 minor hydro projects on the 107 km-long river.
More than 50 villages on the river bank had alleged the river would dry
up, affecting their livelihood. Once all the projects are implemented,
all the river water would be diverted through small tunnels, turning the
area into dry land.
Ganga Knowledge Centre to be set up soon
New Delhi, June 16 (PTI): The environment ministry will soon set up a
Ganga Knowledge Centre (GKC), a single point of reference sharing details on data and plans and policies that would aid in cleaning up the
one of the longest rivers in the world.
Cotton bags distributed on Ganga ghat
VARANASI, June 9, 2010: To discourage the use of plastic carrybags and promote
environment friendly approach, volunteers of Samkalp, a social
organisation, distributed cotton bags at Dashashwamedh Ghat and adjoining areas on Tuesday.
The volunteers also took plastic bags from people visiting the ghats and
offered them cotton bags for daily use. The distribution of cotton bags
was a part of the 'Save Ganga Campaign' of the organisation.
IITs preparing Ganga basin management plan
New Delhi, June 6, 2010 (PTI): Seven IITs have joined hands to prepare a
comprehensive basin management plan for revival of the Ganga, a proposal
which has already been approved by the Central government. The Rs 18-crore plan is being prepared for the National Ganga River
Basin Authority which is headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and includes chief ministers of the states through which the river
flows, besides the Union Ministers and officials concerned.
Uttarakhand for early meeting of Ganga authority
New Delhi/ Dehra Dun May 31, 2010: With Rs 750 crore on stake, Uttarakhand has urged the Centre to convene
an early meeting of the Ganga River Basin Authority to decide the future
of three major hydro power projects on the Bhagirathi in Uttarakashi
district. A group of ministers headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had
scrapped the 480-Mw Pala Maneri and 381-Mw Bhaironghati hydel projects
being built by the state-run Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVNL), and set up a technical committee on the NTPC s 600 Mw Loharinag
Pala.
The technical committee had already conducted a fresh survey of the
Loharinag Pala early this month. All the three projects are being opposed by environmentalists as well as sadhus and saints, who want
the uninterrupted flow of the Bhagirathi to continue. Cutting across party lines,
the ruling BJP and Congress leaders have now openly come in favour of
the three hydel projects, claiming only the Ganga River Basin Authority,
headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, can decide the future of these
projects and not the group of ministers.
Govt notifies order declaring Ganges river dolphin endangered
New Delhi, May 18, 2010 (PTI) : Government today notified its order declaring the endangered Ganges
river dolphin as national aquatic animal. Recognised as "highly endangered" in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act
(1972), the dolphins are found in Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu
river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. The government had last year declared sub-species of dolphin as the national
aquatic animal and the notification would give the order an executive
stamp..
Ganga shrinking away from the ghats
KANPUR, May 13, 2010: In what could be seen as the result of exploitation of the Ganga, the
river has drifted away from the Ghats by changing its usual course. Apparently,
the river which until two years back used to flow through Bhaironghat -- where
most of the bodies are cremated -- has moved more than a kilometre away from the area.
In the last 10 days itself, the level of Ganga water has depleted to such an
extent that the river water at Bhaironghat has dried up completely leading to
formation of sand beds.
Ban on chemical pulping of 25 paper factories
LUCKNOW, April 27, 2010: In a significant development, the UP Pollution Control Board
(UPPCB), on Monday, ordered 25 agro-waste based paper industries in the state to stop the
process of chemical pulping, a move that could lead to closure of these units.
The crackdown gains significance given the fact that the state has a total of 32
such paper industries of which one has already closed down
Drive to check river pollution revived
VARANASI, April 20, 2010: Five teams of officials of different departments have been constituted
to revive the drive to check pollution in the Ganga. The district administration had launched a drive in 2009 to check practices like
washing clothes, use of soap while bathing, direct disposal of sewage, garbage,
chemicals and debris in the Ganga. After continuing for a few months, the was
put on backburner. To revive the same drive, ADM (city) AK Rai convened a meeting of the officials
of district administration, Pollution Control Board, Varanasi Nagar Nigam and
Varanasi Development Authority at his office on Saturday.
Indian leather hub targeted in Ganges clean-up
KANPUR, March 5, 2010 (AFP): On the banks of the Ganges in northern India, tanneries that
have poured effluent into the holy river for decades are closing.For environmentalists, it's a victory over filthy companies with no regard for
nature and a rare example of pollution legislation being enforced. They say the closures point to a willingness to tackle serial
polluters even at the expense of jobs. But the mostly Muslim workers and tannery owners in the city of Kanpur, home to
more than 400 of the estimated 2,100 tanneries in the country, smell a
religion-tinged vendetta against them and a political conspiracy.
Acharya offers Rs 1,000 cr to stop Ganga dam
New Delhi, February 22, 2010: In a dramatic attempt to "save" the Ganga and ensure that the river's waters run free, a man of religion has promised to raise Rs 1,000 crore from the public, "buy" the Loharinag Pala dam in Uttarakhand from the government and demolish it.
Avimukteshwaranand, Shankaracharya-designate of Jyotirmath in
Uttarakhand, has formally written to Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh making this offer. Last week, he had conveyed this to the minister at a panchayat on the Ganga and
Yamuna.
World Bank team shows dissatisfaction over STP projects
KANPUR, February 19, 2010: In a bid to monitor the progress work of various projects and schemes related to the National River Ganga, a two-member World Bank team visited the city, on Thursday.
The WB team member Kevin Taylor and water sanitation specialist Srinivasan Rao visited Bingawan and inspected the progress of the
construction of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). Expressing concern over the delayed projects under the Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission
(JNNURM), the team asked the concerned officials to submit the report giving details about the reasons for the delay caused in the development of these
projects.
A very special. VIP ghat at Har ki Paudi
HARDWAR, January 18, 2010: Across the commoner’s coveted Har ki Paudi, about 50 metres up the river, is a very special. VIP ghat, which had over 60 passes issued for its use the first day of Kumbh, a single pass accommodating three or four persons. Governors,
judges, MPs, MLAs, commissioners form the motley of sinners who go to the VIP ghat for special dips. Foreign delegates who’ve dunked into the Ganga here include Turkey’s deputy prime minister who was here for a Bhel project about 18 months ago. Mauritius’ President may be called a regular, having visited two consecutive years. The Bachchan family comes for private rituals and Kareena Kapoor for a shoot are other notables who have used the
ghat.
Ban on dairies along Ganga
KANPUR, December 25, 2009: Kanpur Nagar Nigam on Thursday decided to impose ban on dairies situated on the banks of the holy river
Ganga. In an order passed today, municipal commissioner Rajeev Sharma directed his subordinates to stop dairies situated on the banks of Ganga that were passing cow dung and other objectionable material in the river directly and polluting it.
Newsman infuriates Hindus with Ganges analogy
December 14, 2009 : Hindus are protesting against the Fox News channel for remarks that the word Ganges “sounds like a disease”. Fox's Glenn Beck, referring to India in a segment titled: “This is
the best America has to offer?” said, “One big river they have there, that sounds like a disease. Come on it does. I mean if somebody said, I am sorry, you have a really bad case of Ganges.”
The Ganges is sacred to one billion Hindus worldwide and it is believed that to bathe in the sacred river purifies one of all sin, and its water, if taken daily, confers immortality.
World Bank Assistance for River Ganga
Lok Sabha, November 25, 2009 (PIB) : Preliminary consultations have been started for seeking World Bank support for the activities of the National
Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), which was set up on 20th February, 2009 for conservation of river Ganga. A proposal for availing Project Preparation Facility
(PPF) assistance of US $ 2.96 million has been forwarded to the World Bank. PPF would be utilised for preparation of the detailed project report. This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (independent charge) Shri Jairam Ramesh in a written reply to a question by Sh.Tufani Saroj ss in Lok Sabha today.
Students organize Ganga cleaning drive in Varanasi
Varanasi, November. 11,2009 (ANI): Hundreds of college students in Varanasi participated
in a cleaning drive aimed to keep the holy Ganges river pollution-free.Many volunteers
cleaned the Ghats of the river with brooms, and also distributed pamphlets among public to spread awareness about keeping the river pollution
free.
Ganga water rally from November 7
ALLAHABAD, November 4, 2009: "Ganga is not only a river but a treasure of our vast historical heritage and the forthcoming Ganga Water rally from November 7 to 9 this year is a step ahead to promote water sports in the state and boost tourism," said district magistrate (DM) Rajeev Agarwal while talking to newspersons here on Wednesday.He added that
around seven teams including three from the home state and four from other states including Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh would take part in the event. .
Power from Hill state a far cry
UTTARKASHI (Uttrakhand), October 11, 2009: Three hydro projects, conceived by the
Uttrakhand government on the holy Ganga river, as a stride towards its dream of converting the newly created hill state as a `Urja Pradesh' (Energy State) have hit a roadblock under pressure of environment activists and
sadhus. With an installed capacity of around 1,300 MW, these projects costing about Rs 8,000 crore, would have generated a surplus, a major portion of which was supposed to be allocated to power-starved
states like Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. However, the fate of these projects are to be decided now by the
Centre, as the Ganga River Basin Authority (GRBA) is now seized with the matter.
NCC cadets clean Ganga ghat at Buxar
PATNA, September 23, 2009: As part of its special national campaign to cleanse the
Ganga, hundreds of cadets of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) on Tuesday gathered at Buxar Ganga river ghat to clean the river. The campaign will continue in Bihar till September 27. The national campaign, `Ganga Swachhta Ahiyan’ (Save Ganga Mission), is scheduled to be
conducted during this month at Allahabad, Kanpur, Varanasi, Chapra, Patna and Munger by NCC cadets. This is a holistic environment preservation programme launched by the largest uniformed youth organization in India.
Save Ganges campaigners ask not to immerse idols into river
Varanasi, September 19, 2009 (ANI): To prevent the river Ganges from getting further
polluted, the Ganga Mahasabha, a voluntary organisation, in Varanasi, has asked
people not to immerse idols in it, which have chemicals or artificial
colours.National secretary of the Ganges Mahasabha, Acharya Jitendra, has said when
these idols will be immersed, a lot of river bodies, mainly river Ganges, will
be polluted. To stop this, he said the government should banning the use of chemicals and artificial colours in making idols.
Maiden meeting of GRBA to be chaired by PM
New Delhi, Sept 16 (PTI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will chair the first
meeting of the Ganga River Basin Authority (GRBA) on October 5, almost an year
after it was constituted. "The first meeting of the Authority which has been set up to protect the ancient
river from pollution and degradation will be chaired by the Prime Minister on
October 5," Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said on the World Ozone Day
being observed today.
Checking pollution in Ganga: HC summons officials
Allahabad, August 28, 2009 (PTI): The Allahabad High Court today asked the Centre to file
an affidavit stating what steps it has taken to check pollution in the Ganga
after declaring it as the national river. Passing the order, a division bench comprising justices Ashok Bhusan and Arun
Tandon also directed Principal Secretary, Urban Development, Uttar
Pradesh, Chairman of State Pollution Control Board and Municipal Commissioner of
Allahabad to appear in person on September 29 and apprise the court of the steps
taken by them in compliance with earlier orders for checking pollution in the
river. The order came on a PIL filed by Swami Harichaitanyaji Maharaj of Allahabad
whereby the court's intervention has been sought to check pollution in the holy river.
For the cause of holy river
VARANASI, August 4, 2009: Main Ganga ko apni ahooti dene ke liye Kashi aya hoon. Kashi mein pran nikalna uttam baat hai (I have come to Kashi to sacrifice my life for the cause of the Ganga. Dying in Kashi is the best thing), says a determined Prof GD Agrawal, the noted environmentalist who is going to sit on a fast-unto-death on Kedar Ghat from August 5. It would be for the third time within 15 months when he will be sitting on
fast-unto- death to ensure that river Bhagirathi is allowed to flow in its natural form between Gangotri and Uttarkashi.
Ganga Water Rally to begin after 7-yr gap
ALLAHABAD, July 2, 2009: After a hiatus of about seven years, the department of
tourism is once again going to organise the much-awaited Ganga Water Rally during the month of November. This step is going to promote adventure tourism in the city, which has remained neglected for the past few years and to bring the city back into the global map. Ganga Water Rally would be organised for three days starting from November 28 and it would terminate on
November 30.
PCB blame on the Allahabad Municipal Corporation for ‘unabated pollution’
Allahabad, June 15, 2009: With the Allahabad High Court’s regular
monitoring of pollution in the Ganga, the Pollution Control Board (Ganga), while shifting blame on the Allahabad
Municipal Corporation for ‘unabated pollution’ through domestic sewage, wants to
lodge FIRs against corporation officials. The Board survey had found that
domestic waste was the worst offender. There are 13 large drains flowing
directly into the Ganga.
HC stays Ganga Express Highway
Allahabad, May 29, 2009: In a major jolt to the UP Government, the Allahabad High Court today stayed the Ganga Express Highway Project. The ambitious project is aimed at linking Noida to Ballia in Uttar Pradesh by constructing eight lane 1047 kilometer long road, which would pass through 19 districts along the bank of river
Ganga.Jaiprakash Associates were allotted contract for the prestigious Rs 30,000-crore Ganga Expressway project.
Seers carry Ganga plight to new govt
LUCKNOW, May 24, 2009: Little brass ‘kamandals’ (pots) holding 100 ml of Gangajal each may succeed where a mammoth Ganga Action Plan failed, hope Kashi seers. Ganga Seva Abhiyan, a confederation of high-powered saints headed by Swami Avimuktehwranand Saraswati, on Friday launched a full-fledged psychological war — Kalash
Samarpan Samaroh — to purge the holy river. The unique strategy, ‘‘targeting the seat of power — Delhi — entails coaxing newly-appointed MPs to nurture to health dying Ganga like any
duty- bound progeny’’.
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