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Polluted Ganges tributary choking holy Uttarkashi:- Uttarkashi March 15, 2005 4:08:30 PM IST After getting polluted in the plains as it meanders through India's hinterland before emptying itself into the Bay of Bengal, the Ganges is now facing the threat of getting polluted near its source. Originating from the Gangotri glacier high in the Himalayas, the Bhagirathi, a tributary of the Ganges, is now choking at Uttarkashi, the first major town downstream. Sewage drains and carelessly strewn plastic bags and other non-bio degradable coupled with highly toxic form of waste dumped into the river are posing an environmental hazard. A chief source of the region's water supply, many locals even wash their laundry on the river bank which further pollutes the river's waters, even as Hindus revere it as mother Goddess and believe that a dip in the holy waters will cleanse them of their sins. Locals believe that lack of awareness and general apathy on the part of the civic authorities are the chief reasons for the river's pollution. "Despite being a holy site, some people do not care about maintaining the sanctity of the Ganges. Maybe they are just uncivilised and can't understand. But if the municipal authorities step in to take control of the situation, this will not happen, " said Rajendra Semwal, a local resident. Although the civic authorities claim to have initiated several schemes to construct bathing areas and public conveniences to conserve the river in this town, the projects are yet in the nascent stages. "I would like to mention that lots of our projects are in the initial stages. We have commissioned the setting up of sewage lines and pumping stations. After the construction is complete then the sewage drains that are flowing into the river, will be diverted. The discharge would be diverted to the pumping stations and from there it shall go to the treatment plants," said KN Purohit, Manager of the Ganges Pollution Board. Over the years several cleanliness programmes have been launched at various regions from where the Ganges flows to save the river, however little has changed for the river. Though a Ganga Action Plan was set up by the Central government in 1985 to cleanse the river, much of the action remains on paper. The Ganges runs its course of over 2,500 kilometres (1,562 miles) from Gangotri in the Himalayas to Ganga Sagar in the Bay of Bengal through 29 cities with population of over 100,000 each. In 1996, the apex court had banned the discharge of effluents from the various tannery factories located on its banks in Kanpur. With tonnes of waste being dumped into it everyday, the Ganges remains one of the most polluted rivers in the world. (ANI) Comment: The BJP should get their cadres to sort out this mess! -- Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London, England *********************************************************************** * G * O * A * N * E * T *** C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S * *********************************************************************** Greet your loved ones in Goa with flowers! http://www.goa-world.com/goa/expressions/ EXPRESSIONS - The Flower Shop. World famous all over Goa! ***********************************************************************
