Ganges. The Ganges, or Ganga, is a trans-boundary river of Asia which flows through India and Bangladesh.
The 2,601 km river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of India and Bangladesh, eventually emptying into the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges is a lifeline to millions who live along its course.
It is a most sacred river to Hindus, and worshiped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism. It has been important historically: many former provincial or imperial capitals have been located on its banks.
The Ganges is threatened by pollution, the danger this poses is not only to humans, but also to animals, among which are more than 140 fish species, 90 amphibian species, reptiles such as the gharial, and mammals such as the South Asian River Dolphin, the last-mentioned two included in the IUCN's critically endangered list. The levels of fecal coliform bacteria from human waste in the river near Varanasi are more than a hundred times the Indian government's official limit.
The Ganga Action Plan, an environmental initiative to clean up the river, is considered a failure, which is variously attributed to corruption, a lack of will in the government, poor technical expertise and environmental planning, and a lack of support from religious authorities. The main stem of the river Ganges begins at the confluence of the Bhagirath
The 2,601 km river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of India and Bangladesh, eventually emptying into the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges is a lifeline to millions who live along its course.
It is a most sacred river to Hindus, and worshiped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism. It has been important historically: many former provincial or imperial capitals have been located on its banks.
The Ganges is threatened by pollution, the danger this poses is not only to humans, but also to animals, among which are more than 140 fish species, 90 amphibian species, reptiles such as the gharial, and mammals such as the South Asian River Dolphin, the last-mentioned two included in the IUCN's critically endangered list. The levels of fecal coliform bacteria from human waste in the river near Varanasi are more than a hundred times the Indian government's official limit.
The Ganga Action Plan, an environmental initiative to clean up the river, is considered a failure, which is variously attributed to corruption, a lack of will in the government, poor technical expertise and environmental planning, and a lack of support from religious authorities. The main stem of the river Ganges begins at the confluence of the Bhagirath
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