research paper on ganga pollution

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Ganga water pollution: A potential health threat to inhabitants of Ganga basin

Affiliations.

• 1 Plant Ecology and Environmental Science Division, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow 226001, India.
• 2 Plant Ecology and Environmental Science Division, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow 226001, India. Electronic address: [email protected].
• PMID: 29783191
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.05.015

Background: The water quality of Ganga, the largest river in Indian sub-continent and life line to hundreds of million people, has severely deteriorated. Studies have indicated the presence of high level of carcinogenic elements in Ganga water.

Objectives: We performed extensive review of sources and level of organic, inorganic pollution and microbial contamination in Ganga water to evaluate changes in the level of various pollutants in the recent decade in comparison to the past and potential health risk for the population through consumption of toxicant tainted fishes in Ganga basin.

Methods: A systematic search through databases, specific websites and reports of pollution regulatory agencies was conducted. The state wise level of contamination was tabulated along the Ganga river. We have discussed the major sources of various pollutants with particular focus on metal/metalloid and pesticide residues. Bioaccumulation of toxicants in fishes of Ganga water and potential health hazards to humans through consumption of tainted fishes was evaluated.

Results: The level of pesticides in Ganga water registered a drastic reduction in the last decade (i.e. after the establishment of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) in 2009), still the levels of some organochlorines are beyond the permissible limits for drinking water. Conversely the inorganic pollutants, particularly carcinogenic elements have increased several folds. Microbial contamination has also significantly increased. Hazard quotient and hazard index indicated significant health risk due to metal/metalloid exposure through consumption of tainted fishes from Ganga. Target cancer risk assessment showed high carcinogenic risk from As, Cr, Ni and Pb as well as residues of DDT and HCHs.

Conclusion: Current data analysis showed that Ganga water quality is deteriorating day by day and at several places even in upper stretch of Ganga the water is not suitable for domestic uses. Although there is positive impact of ban on persistent pesticides with decreasing trend of pesticide residues in Ganga water, the increasing trend of trace and toxic elements is alarming and the prolong exposure to polluted Ganga water and/or consumption of Ganga water fishes may cause serious illness including cancer.

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• 24 August 2021

Toxic plastics choking the River Ganges

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Polyethylene from discarded plastic bags, food-packaging films and milk bottles is increasingly gagging the Ganges river turning it into a toxic water body downstream, research shows.

A survey of the mighty river by researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata portrays this grim picture of plastic pollution in India 1 .

Single-use plastic products, difficult to recycle and decompose, persist in landfills and flow through sewers and rivers into the oceans, endangering myriad life forms. The IISER team found a large quantity of microplastics of various sizes and colours in the river. Microplastics are tiny plastic particles mostly measuring less than 5 mm.

“The most abundant type of waste plastic material found at different sites along the river banks was polyethylene,” said lead researcher Gopala Krishna Darbha.

They also found waste plastic materials such as polystyrene and polypropylene. Polystyrene is the plastic in throw-away cutlery, plates, cups, while polypropylene comes from potato chip bags, bottle caps and single-use face masks.

The microplastics don’t just float; they also have the potential to bind to harmful pollutants and metal nanoparticles. “Plastic particles such as polyethylene can bind to persistent organic pollutants and metal-oxide nanoparticles and leach the pollutants, increasing their toxicity, mobilisation and bioavailability,” Darbha told Nature India .

Globally, 10 rivers drain almost 90 per cent of plastics into the sea. Mahua Saha, from the CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography in Goa, points out that three of these rivers – Indus, Brahmaputra and Ganges – are from India.

Saha, who is not involved in this research, said such microplastic particles could carry pathogens. The plastic particles have the potential to disrupt the balance of steroid hormone levels, delay ovulation and even inhibit the secretion of gastric enzymes in various life forms, she said.

Hotbed of plastic pollution

To assess the plastic load in the Ganges, the IISER scientists collected water samples using mesh plankton nets towed to a boat. They also gathered sediment samples scraping the surface layer at different locations along the river banks in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.

Water samples from Diamond Harbour in West Bengal showed a significantly higher abundance of microplastics when compared with Ballia in Uttar Pradesh and Bhagalpur in Bihar.

The researchers found a dominance of films in the samples, suggesting the increased use of plastic carry bags and thin plastic films for packaging. This is a reflection of the lack of waste management practices in cities along the banks of the river, they say. Further, the presence of foam and fragments showed the abundance of discarded packaging materials and the breaking of large plastic debris.

Another recent estimate also revealed that the Ganges, with the combined flows of the Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers (GBM), releases up to 1–3 billion microplastic particles into the Bay of Bengal every day 2

“Microplastics present a clear risk to the environment. They can alter the properties of an aquatic ecosystem, leading to death of fish, birds and marine mammals,” said Subir Kumar Nag from the ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute in Kolkata. A high content of toxic metals were found in the microplastics. These were also found in fish, Nag said.

The presence of various carcinogenic additives such as bisphenol A or phthalates in plastics was also a threat to living organisms when ingested, he pointed out.

Apart from urban plastic wastes, the Ganges also gets plastic debris from fishing activities. In a recent study, Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun, collaborating with researchers from the United Kingdom and Bangladesh, identified parts of fishing gear such as nets, ropes, strings and lines at different locations in the river 3 . The most common plastic was nylon 6, followed by polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene. The researchers found that these pieces of discarded fishing gear could pose a threat to Gangetic river dolphins, various species of turtles, frogs and birds.

Threatening life

In seas, solar radiation, wind, water and microorganisms break down microplastics into smaller particles such as nanoplastics. A solitary microplastic particle could break down into billions of nanosized plastic particles. Such nanosized plastic particles become deadlier than microplastics since they are much smaller and can easily permeate through biological membranes.

In experiments with zebrafish, which share 70 per cent of human genes, the IISER researchers found that nanoplastics could bind to metal oxide nanoparticles and exert oxidative stress and DNA damage in cells 4 . A separate study found that exposure to polystyrene nanoparticles shortened the life-time of Daphnia magna , a freshwater invertebrate filter feeder, by three times 5 .

In a recent study, Saha and her teammates detected the presence of microplastics in marine organisms such as finfish and shellfish in an estuary where the Sal river meets the Arabian Sea in Goa 6 . Local humans consume shellfish as seafood. “It is really alarming since ingesting such plastic particles can alter the activities of genes, which may lead to obesity, fertility problems and even cancer,” Saha warned.

The threat to marine animals and humans continues to grow as plastic particles spread to remote places such as the Galapagos archipelago where microplastics have been found in edible fish, squid and shrimps 7 . A recent survey of microplastics in the air, water, salt and seafood revealed that children and adults might ingest from dozens to more than 100,000 microplastic specks each day 8 .

Plastic production is estimated to rise by 33 billion tonnes by 2050, Darbha and his colleagues offer a ray of hope though. The team has synthesised specific clay- and carbon-based materials from agricultural waste and an iron-modified carbon-rich material that could remove plastic particles from water 9 10 .

These eco-friendly materials could potentially be used as filter cartridges for providing plastic-free drinking water, said Darbha. Such plastic-removing techniques, he noted, could have a positive impact on the lives of people around the world.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d44151-021-00027-9

Singh, N. et al . Characteristics and spatial distribution of microplastics in the lower Ganga River water and sediment. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 163, 111960 (2021)

Napper, I. E. et al. The abundance and characteristics of microplastics in surface water in the transboundary Ganges River. Environ. Pollut. 274, 116348 (2021)

Nelms, S. E. et al. Riverine plastic pollution from fisheries: Insights from the Ganges River system. Sci. Total. Environ. 756, 143305 (2021)

Singh, N. et al. Metal oxide nanoparticles and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons alter nanoplastic’s stability and toxicity to zebrafish. J. Hazard. Mater. 407, 124382 (2021)

Kelpsiene, E. et al. Long-term exposure to nanoplastics reduces life-time in Daphnia magna. Sci. Rep. 10: 5979 (2020)

Saha, M. et al. Microplastics in seafood as an emerging threat to marine environment: A case study in Goa, west coast of India. Chemosphere. 270, 129359 (2021)

Alfaro-Nunez, A. et al. Microplastic pollution in seawater and marine organisms across the Tropical Eastern Pacific and Galápagos. Sci. Rep. 11:6424 (2021)

Nor. N. H. M. et al. Lifetime accumulation of microplastic in children and adults. Environ. Sci. Technol. 55, 5084-5096 (2021)

Tiwari, E. et al. Application of Zn/Al layered double hydroxides for the removal of nano-scale plastic debris from aqueous systems. J. Hazard. Mater. 397, 122769 (2020)

Singh, N. et al . Eco-friendly magnetic biochar: An effective trap for nanoplastics of varying surface functionality and size in the aqueous environment. Chem. Eng. J. 418, 129405 (2021)

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Climate Change and River Water Pollution: An Application to the Ganges in Kanpur

Natural Resource Modeling, Vol. 36, e12370, 2023

15 Pages Posted: 14 Aug 2023

Amitrajeet A. Batabyal

Rochester Institute of Technology

Karima Kourtit

VU University Amsterdam

Peter Nijkamp

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, School of Business and Economics

Date Written: August 11, 2023

We provide a theoretical framework to analyze how climate change influences the Ganges and how this influence affects pollution in the river caused by tanneries in Kanpur, India. We focus on two tanneries, A and B, that are situated on the same bank of the Ganges in Kanpur. Both produce leather and leather production requires the use of noxious chemicals. Tannery A is situated upstream from tannery B. Tannery A's leather production depends on labor use but tannery B's leather production depends on labor use, the chemical waste generated by tannery A, and the natural pollution absorbing capacity of the Ganges. In this setting, we perform four tasks. First, we construct a metric that measures the climate change induced mean reduction in the natural capacity of the Ganges to absorb pollution in the time interval [0,t]. Second, we use this metric and determine the equilibrium production of leather by both tanneries in the benchmark case in which there is no pollution. Third, we ascertain how the benchmark equilibrium is altered when tannery B accounts for the negative externality foisted upon it by tannery A. Finally, we study the impact on leather production and on labor use when the two tanneries merge and then discuss the policy implications stemming from our research.

Keywords: Climate Change, Ganges River, Tannery, Unitization, Water Pollution

JEL Classification: Q25, Q54

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Amitrajeet A. Batabyal (Contact Author)

Rochester institute of technology ( email ).

Department of Economics, RIT 92 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, NY NEW YORK 14623-5604 United States 5853134063 (Phone) 5854755777 (Fax)

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India’s effort to clean up sacred but polluted ganga river.

Fred de Sam Lazaro Fred de Sam Lazaro

Sarah Clune Hartman Sarah Clune Hartman

• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/indias-long-term-effort-to-clean-up-pollution-in-sacred-ganga-river

The Ganga River, known as the Ganges under British rule, is one of the most revered waterways in the world -- and also among the most polluted. Stretching from the Himalayan foothills to the Bay of Bengal, it provides water to nearly half a billion people, more than any other river in the world. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports from India on the latest efforts to clean the river.

Read the Full Transcript

Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.

Amna Nawaz:

The Ganga River, known as the Ganges under British rule, is one of the most revered waterways in the world, and also one of the most polluted.

It provides water for nearly half-a-billion people, more than any other river in the world, stretching from the foothills of the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal.

Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports from Varanasi, India, on the latest efforts to help clean the river.

Fred de Sam Lazaro:

In Hinduism, the Ganges, or Ganga, is sacred, a river that has nourished an ancient civilization since its beginning.

Today, the Ganges Basin, the river and its tributaries, takes in 11 states, plus the capital region of Delhi. In all, some 400 million people, on farms, in factories and in households, rely on it for life, livelihood and spiritual sustenance.

In the holy city of Varanasi, temples draw throngs of believers, who float oil lamps and marigolds.

Pirbhadra Tiwari (through translator):

It's our faith that brings us here. It's like nectar to me.

They take ritual baths, dips, even small sips, while reciting prayers to heal the body, to clean the soul.

Vishwambhar Nath Mishra is an engineer by training. He also heads the 500-year-old Sankat Mochan temple.

Vishwambhar Nath Mishra:

Whatever suffering we have, seems to just take away all the suffering.

So the river can be the source of happiness and contentment.

Definitely.

Many believers seek to have their ashes sprinkled in the river. Thousands of bodies are burned here. Many, however, are not fully cremated.

These practices stress the river, but they are only a small part of what it endures. By far, the most toxic pollution of this river is probably the least visible, unless you happen upon drainage canals like this one, which discharge millions every day of gallons of raw, untreated sewage.

Experts link pollution in the Ganga and other rivers to India's high rate of waterborne illnesses, which kill an estimated 1.5 million children each year. Researchers have also discovered the emergence of so-called superbugs in Ganges water samples, bacteria resistant to most commonly used antibiotics.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, devoutly Hindu and allied with Hindu nationalist groups, represents Varanasi in Parliament and has made the river's cleanup a signature issue for his government. In this video posted online by his office, Modi vows to jump-start the effort, which has languished for decades.

The $3 billion dollar cleanup program began in 2015, but Mishra, citing the continued pollution, among other things, says it's shown little progress.

Now, I think red tape-ism is the biggest cause for it.

Red tape-ism?

Pollution control officials in Varanasi say new capacity is coming online that will treat much of the daily effluent.

But Rajiv Mishra, who heads the prime minister's national clean Ganga project, says there is no quick solution.

Rajiv Ranjan Mishra:

It's a very long-term thing. People always think, like, when it will be clean? I mean, that question has no meaning.

He say it will take years to bring together the competing interests and jurisdictions across an area one-and-a-half times the size of Texas.

And while the public supports a cleanup, Mishra says many don't perceive a grave threat to a river that they feel can withstand anything.

People will say, there can be some dirty things in the river, there may be some pollution, but the river remains pure. So that's a strength, as well as a challenge, for us.

He says there needs to be a shift in perception and even in some rituals. Electric crematoria have been built as an alternative to the traditional and less efficient wood-burning pyres.

And there also are smaller campaigns another to raise public awareness, like one effort which recycles flowers. Directly or indirectly, tons of these chemically treated flowers find their way into the river. They are now turned into incense sticks, which are sold near the temples.

However, the most effective way to cleanse the river — also the biggest challenge — would be to restore its natural flow. After dams, industrial and agricultural use, Mishra says there's a lot less water left for cities like Varanasi.

Imagine a person, if you take out 70 percent, 50 percent of the blood from someone's body, what will happen to it?

Restoring the river's natural flow will require sacrifice from all users, Mishra says. It's a political challenge that will become even more difficult given climate change.

Himalayan glaciers that feed this region's major rivers are receding. Rainy seasons are getting shorter and dry spells longer.

For now, Arunabha Ghosh, who heads a Delhi-based think tank, gives the government's effort a low grade.

Arunabha Ghosh:

You have a financing problem. You have a manpower problem. And, most importantly, I would say, you still have a governance architecture problem.

And if we don't fix those basic things, then you won't be able to truly transform, because the idea was, if you can fix this, you know, which — because what happens to the Ganga has a kind of also social resonance.

For now, many eyes are on Varanasi, from the prime minister to the canoeing balladeer who shuttles tourists along the Ganga. She is sacred, he sings. Stop throwing trash into her.

For the "PBS NewsHour," this is Fred de Sam Lazaro in Varanasi, India.

And Fred's reporting is in partnership with the Under-Told Stories Project at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.

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Fred de Sam Lazaro is director of the Under-Told Stories Project at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, a program that combines international journalism and teaching. He has served with the PBS NewsHour since 1985 and is a regular contributor and substitute anchor for PBS' Religion and Ethics Newsweekly.

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Ecology of the River Ganga -Issues and Challenges

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