River Ganga
Hindus god Of river ganga In beneras Or varanasi...
Indias one of the Bigest river...
River ganga head Leafting the Human dead bodys Daily...
daily !! Its good for Hindus princeple So the gang river was very nasty...!
Hindus people are Comming with flowers And treditional lamp Respect given the River ganga...
for god ! River ganga not Mind it...
Very long long years River ganga very Dartyly go to Mix the .....
But,river ganga was hindus one Of the god...
Yes...
promises by lord siva...
Poet.selvakumar
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Pollution in Ganga
Sedimentation in river Ganga is the main cause of increasing pollution in the river, says a study carried out by the Geography department of Allahabad University and funded by the Union Grant Commission(UGC).
The recently submitted report to the UGC says 4 mm sedimentation per year is reported in Allahabad and Kanpur stretch of the river.
wannna know more click here
The recently submitted report to the UGC says 4 mm sedimentation per year is reported in Allahabad and Kanpur stretch of the river.
wannna know more click here
Ganga in Kolkata
The main branch of the Ganges, the Padma, passes through the Farraka Barrage, a gigantic barrier designed to divert the Ganges waters into the Indian Hooghly branch, and away from the Padma. Completed by the Indian government in the early 1970s, it was intended to help flush out the increasing silt deposits in the Hooghly, to improve navigation, and to provide Kolkata with irrigation and drinking water.
About 150 large industrial plants are lined up on the banks of the Hooghly at Kolkata. Together, these plants contribute 30 percent of the total industrial effluent reaching the mouths of the Ganges. Of this, half comes from pulp and paper industries, which discharge a dark brown, oxygen-craving slurry of bark and wood fiber, mercury and other heavy metals which accumulate in fish tissues, and chemical toxins like bleaches and dyes, which produce dioxin and other persistent compounds.
About 150 large industrial plants are lined up on the banks of the Hooghly at Kolkata. Together, these plants contribute 30 percent of the total industrial effluent reaching the mouths of the Ganges. Of this, half comes from pulp and paper industries, which discharge a dark brown, oxygen-craving slurry of bark and wood fiber, mercury and other heavy metals which accumulate in fish tissues, and chemical toxins like bleaches and dyes, which produce dioxin and other persistent compounds.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Economical activities on ganga banks
Sl. Head Amount/Percentage
(in Hectares)
1. Cultivable Land 2,41,926 H
2. Net Cropped Area 1,77,275 H
3. Rabi Cropped Area
4. Kharif Cropped Area
5. Irrigated Land 1,26,830
6. Main Soil Types Chikani,Domat,Baluahi
7. Cropping Intensity
8. Fertilizer Consumption
9. Mechanization
10. Non-Agricultural Land H
Total Area 59,92,155.43 H
Rain Fall
Sl. Average Rainfall In Bhojpur
1. General = 913.4 mm
2. Actual = 1,160.6 mm in year 2002
Banking Facility
The Banking Industry is good Bhojpur district as far as the number of the branches of different Banks is concerned. Altogether there are 120 branches of different banks in this district.
Sl. Banks Branches
1. Commercial Bank 48
2. Gramin Bank 53
3. Co-Operative Bank 15
4. Land Development Bank 4
5. Lead Bank of Bhojpur : PNB 15
District Welfare
The District Welfare Office is working under the supervision of District Welfare Officer. The District Welfare Office is working for the implementation of Schemes sponsored by Welfare Department, Social Welfare Department and Integrated Child Development Program (ICDS). Various welfare schemes are taken up in the District which are as follows :
Sl. Schemes Allotment (2003-04) Expenditure
1. Welfare Department .. ..
Scholarship for SC, ST, OBC .. ..
SPI Component Programme for SC, ST .. ..
TSP under Art. 275(i) of Indian Constitution .. ..
2. Social Welfare .. ..
Stipend for disabled students .. ..
Balika Samridhi Yojna .. ..
Grant for Inter-caste Marriage .. ..
3. I.C.D.S. .. ..
Poshahar Yojna .. ..
Kishor Shakti for the Age-group of 11-16 Years .. ..
Electricity
RURAL ELECTRIFICATION
According to the District Statistical Report 744 villages out of 1194 villages of the district are electrified. But only in 248 villages electric lines are in working condition and 496 villages are such where the power supply is not possible due to various problems such as theft of wires and improper maintenance. There are 3 rural power sub-station of 33/11 K.V. at Koilwar, Behia and Shahpur in the district Bhojpur. Four other rural Power sub-stations of the same capacity are under construction at Garahani, Piro, Jagdishpur and Saraia.
Sl. Description Number
1. Total No. of Populated Villages 1194
2. Total No. of Electrified Villages 744
3. Total No. of De-Electrified Villages 496
4. Total No. of Un-Electrified Villages ..
Educational Institutions
Sl. Description Number
1. Primary and Basic School 1274
2. Middle School 268
3. High School 111
4. High School ( 10 + 2 ) 5
5. Constituent Colleges 5
6. Affiliated Colleges 9
7. Technical colleges 1
8. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyala 1
9. Girl's High School 15
Health
The health facilities the district of Bhojpur are fairly good. There is one Sadar Hospital situated at the District Headquarters, Ara which has facility of 157 beds. There also 2 Referral Hospitals, 9 State dispensaries, Primary Health Centers 10 and 338 Addl Primary Health Centres in the district. The facility of beds in Referral Hospitals is 60 and 60 in State Primary Health Centres. Altogether 131 Doctors are posted in the district at different levels against the required number of 140 doctors. The District Health Administration is working under the control and supervision of the Civil Surgeon, Bhojpur.
Sl. Description Number
1. Sub-Divisional Hospitals 1
2. Primary Health Centres 10
3. Referral Hospitals 2
4. Addl. Primary Health Centres 338
5. Gramin Aushdhalaya
6. No. of Doctors 138
7. No. of A - grade Nurse 9
8. No of A.N.M. 358
Drinking Water
Public Health and Engineering Department Division of Bhojpur are responsible for Rural and Urban drinking water facilities and sanitation.
(in Hectares)
1. Cultivable Land 2,41,926 H
2. Net Cropped Area 1,77,275 H
3. Rabi Cropped Area
4. Kharif Cropped Area
5. Irrigated Land 1,26,830
6. Main Soil Types Chikani,Domat,Baluahi
7. Cropping Intensity
8. Fertilizer Consumption
9. Mechanization
10. Non-Agricultural Land H
Total Area 59,92,155.43 H
Rain Fall
Sl. Average Rainfall In Bhojpur
1. General = 913.4 mm
2. Actual = 1,160.6 mm in year 2002
Banking Facility
The Banking Industry is good Bhojpur district as far as the number of the branches of different Banks is concerned. Altogether there are 120 branches of different banks in this district.
Sl. Banks Branches
1. Commercial Bank 48
2. Gramin Bank 53
3. Co-Operative Bank 15
4. Land Development Bank 4
5. Lead Bank of Bhojpur : PNB 15
District Welfare
The District Welfare Office is working under the supervision of District Welfare Officer. The District Welfare Office is working for the implementation of Schemes sponsored by Welfare Department, Social Welfare Department and Integrated Child Development Program (ICDS). Various welfare schemes are taken up in the District which are as follows :
Sl. Schemes Allotment (2003-04) Expenditure
1. Welfare Department .. ..
Scholarship for SC, ST, OBC .. ..
SPI Component Programme for SC, ST .. ..
TSP under Art. 275(i) of Indian Constitution .. ..
2. Social Welfare .. ..
Stipend for disabled students .. ..
Balika Samridhi Yojna .. ..
Grant for Inter-caste Marriage .. ..
3. I.C.D.S. .. ..
Poshahar Yojna .. ..
Kishor Shakti for the Age-group of 11-16 Years .. ..
Electricity
RURAL ELECTRIFICATION
According to the District Statistical Report 744 villages out of 1194 villages of the district are electrified. But only in 248 villages electric lines are in working condition and 496 villages are such where the power supply is not possible due to various problems such as theft of wires and improper maintenance. There are 3 rural power sub-station of 33/11 K.V. at Koilwar, Behia and Shahpur in the district Bhojpur. Four other rural Power sub-stations of the same capacity are under construction at Garahani, Piro, Jagdishpur and Saraia.
Sl. Description Number
1. Total No. of Populated Villages 1194
2. Total No. of Electrified Villages 744
3. Total No. of De-Electrified Villages 496
4. Total No. of Un-Electrified Villages ..
Educational Institutions
Sl. Description Number
1. Primary and Basic School 1274
2. Middle School 268
3. High School 111
4. High School ( 10 + 2 ) 5
5. Constituent Colleges 5
6. Affiliated Colleges 9
7. Technical colleges 1
8. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyala 1
9. Girl's High School 15
Health
The health facilities the district of Bhojpur are fairly good. There is one Sadar Hospital situated at the District Headquarters, Ara which has facility of 157 beds. There also 2 Referral Hospitals, 9 State dispensaries, Primary Health Centers 10 and 338 Addl Primary Health Centres in the district. The facility of beds in Referral Hospitals is 60 and 60 in State Primary Health Centres. Altogether 131 Doctors are posted in the district at different levels against the required number of 140 doctors. The District Health Administration is working under the control and supervision of the Civil Surgeon, Bhojpur.
Sl. Description Number
1. Sub-Divisional Hospitals 1
2. Primary Health Centres 10
3. Referral Hospitals 2
4. Addl. Primary Health Centres 338
5. Gramin Aushdhalaya
6. No. of Doctors 138
7. No. of A - grade Nurse 9
8. No of A.N.M. 358
Drinking Water
Public Health and Engineering Department Division of Bhojpur are responsible for Rural and Urban drinking water facilities and sanitation.
Origin of Ganga
River Ganga holds an exalted and sacred position in the Hindu religion. The important place of River Ganges can be gauged by the fact that many ancient India texts refer to the river at different places. River Ganges is repeatedly invoked in the Vedas, the Puranas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In Hindu mythology, River Ganga is associated with many legends and myths. According to legends, River Ganga is considered as one of the two daughters of Meru (the Himalayas), the other being Uma, consort of Shiva.
According to one legend, Indra had asked for Ganga to be given to heaven to calm the Gods with her cool waters. Different legends about River Ganga narrate different stories of her descent to earth. The story of Ganga's descent on Earth appears in slightly different forms in Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas. The most interesting legend about River Ganga revolves around a king: Sagara, his sons, grandson (Ansuman) and the great grandson, Bhagirath.
Once King Sagara performed the Ashwamedha sacrifice (horse ceremony), in which a horse is allowed to roam at will and warriors try to rein in the horse. Stopping the horse amounts to declaration of war and if they fail that means they accept the suzerainty of the King. The sixty thousand sons of King Sagara went about looking for the horse and ended up reaching the deep oceans and the horse was found close to the sage Kapila, who sat in deep meditation. In their attempt to catch the horse the sons disturbed Kapila, who instantly burnt them to ashes with his fiery gaze.
Pleased with the insight and knowledge of Ansuman, the grandson of Sagara, sage Kapila told Anshuman that the waters of Ganga, who was residing in heaven, might release the souls of the sons of Sagara. Finally, it was Dilip's son Bhagiratha, who managed to bring Goddess Ganga on earth. To bear the impact of the severity of the fall of River Ganga, Bhagiratha prayed to Lord Shiva, who agreed for the same. Finally, the river Ganga came down and fell into Shiva's matted hair and thence to earth. Bhagiratha led the way on horseback and the river followed. They finally reached the spot where the ashes of the six thousand sons lay and liberated the souls.
According to one legend, Indra had asked for Ganga to be given to heaven to calm the Gods with her cool waters. Different legends about River Ganga narrate different stories of her descent to earth. The story of Ganga's descent on Earth appears in slightly different forms in Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas. The most interesting legend about River Ganga revolves around a king: Sagara, his sons, grandson (Ansuman) and the great grandson, Bhagirath.
Once King Sagara performed the Ashwamedha sacrifice (horse ceremony), in which a horse is allowed to roam at will and warriors try to rein in the horse. Stopping the horse amounts to declaration of war and if they fail that means they accept the suzerainty of the King. The sixty thousand sons of King Sagara went about looking for the horse and ended up reaching the deep oceans and the horse was found close to the sage Kapila, who sat in deep meditation. In their attempt to catch the horse the sons disturbed Kapila, who instantly burnt them to ashes with his fiery gaze.
Pleased with the insight and knowledge of Ansuman, the grandson of Sagara, sage Kapila told Anshuman that the waters of Ganga, who was residing in heaven, might release the souls of the sons of Sagara. Finally, it was Dilip's son Bhagiratha, who managed to bring Goddess Ganga on earth. To bear the impact of the severity of the fall of River Ganga, Bhagiratha prayed to Lord Shiva, who agreed for the same. Finally, the river Ganga came down and fell into Shiva's matted hair and thence to earth. Bhagiratha led the way on horseback and the river followed. They finally reached the spot where the ashes of the six thousand sons lay and liberated the souls.
Myths and history of river Ganga
No river has kindled Man's imagination like the Ganges. From its icy origins high in the Himalayas, this sacred river flows through the holy cities and the great plains of northern India to the Bay of Bengal. In a country where the red heat of summer inspires prayer for the coming monsoon, the life-giving waters of the Ganges have assumed legendary powers in the form of the Hindu goddess Ganga, the source of creation and abundance. Pilgrims flock to her shores to cleanse and purify themselves, to cure ailments, and to die that much closer to paradise. Steven Darian writes of the human experience and the legendary myths that surround the Ganges. While collecting material for this book, Dr. Darian lived by the Ganges, explored her shores, and was a pilgrim to the Ganga Sagar festival at Sagar Island off Calcutta where the sacred river and the ocean merge.
"In a country where the red heat of summer inspires prayer for the coming monsoon, the life-giving waters of the Ganges have assumed legendary powers in the form of the Hindu Goddess Ganga, the source of creation and abundance. Pilgrims flock to her shores to cleanse and purify themselves, to cure ailments, and to die that much closer to paradise.
Steven Darian writes of the human experience and the legendary myths that surround the Ganges. The inspiration of poets and artists for centuries, the mysterious Ganga is the essence of the Divine Mother bringing increase and salvation, but also death and destruction.
"Nowhere are her powers felt more than in Bengal where Hindu and Moslem practices coalesce in worship of the capricious Ganga. Here the shifting riverbed of the great Ganges has built and plague as well as life and benediction to the people.
The inspiration of poets and artists for centuries, the mysterious Ganga is the essence of the Divine Mother bringing increase and salvation, but also death and destruction. While collecting material for this book, Dr. Darian lived by the Ganges, explored her shores, and was a pilgrim to the Ganga Sargar festival.
"While collecting material for this book, Dr. Darian lived by the Ganges, explored her shores, and was a pilgrim to the Ganga Sagar festival at Sagar Island of Calcutta where the sacred river and the ocean merge."
"In a country where the red heat of summer inspires prayer for the coming monsoon, the life-giving waters of the Ganges have assumed legendary powers in the form of the Hindu Goddess Ganga, the source of creation and abundance. Pilgrims flock to her shores to cleanse and purify themselves, to cure ailments, and to die that much closer to paradise.
Steven Darian writes of the human experience and the legendary myths that surround the Ganges. The inspiration of poets and artists for centuries, the mysterious Ganga is the essence of the Divine Mother bringing increase and salvation, but also death and destruction.
"Nowhere are her powers felt more than in Bengal where Hindu and Moslem practices coalesce in worship of the capricious Ganga. Here the shifting riverbed of the great Ganges has built and plague as well as life and benediction to the people.
The inspiration of poets and artists for centuries, the mysterious Ganga is the essence of the Divine Mother bringing increase and salvation, but also death and destruction. While collecting material for this book, Dr. Darian lived by the Ganges, explored her shores, and was a pilgrim to the Ganga Sargar festival.
"While collecting material for this book, Dr. Darian lived by the Ganges, explored her shores, and was a pilgrim to the Ganga Sagar festival at Sagar Island of Calcutta where the sacred river and the ocean merge."
Monday, October 20, 2008
Introduction
The Ganges River
Winding 1,560 miles across northern India, from the Himalaya Mountains to the Indian Ocean, the Ganges River is not a sacred place: it is a sacred entity. Known as Ganga Ma—Mother Ganges—the river is revered as a goddess whose purity cleanses the sins of the faithful and aids the dead on their path toward heaven. But while her spiritual purity has remained unchallenged for millennia, her physical purity has deteriorated as India’s booming population imposes an ever-growing burden upon her. The river is now sick with the pollution of human and industrial waste, and water-borne illness is a terrible factor of Indian life. But the threat posed by this pollution isn’t just a matter of health—it’s a matter of faith. Veer Badra Mishra, a Hindu priest and civil engineer who has worked for decades to combat pollution in the Ganges, describes the importance of protecting this sacred river: “There is a saying that the Ganges grants us salvation. This culture will end if the people stop going to the river, and if the culture dies the tradition dies, and the faith dies.”
Winding 1,560 miles across northern India, from the Himalaya Mountains to the Indian Ocean, the Ganges River is not a sacred place: it is a sacred entity. Known as Ganga Ma—Mother Ganges—the river is revered as a goddess whose purity cleanses the sins of the faithful and aids the dead on their path toward heaven. But while her spiritual purity has remained unchallenged for millennia, her physical purity has deteriorated as India’s booming population imposes an ever-growing burden upon her. The river is now sick with the pollution of human and industrial waste, and water-borne illness is a terrible factor of Indian life. But the threat posed by this pollution isn’t just a matter of health—it’s a matter of faith. Veer Badra Mishra, a Hindu priest and civil engineer who has worked for decades to combat pollution in the Ganges, describes the importance of protecting this sacred river: “There is a saying that the Ganges grants us salvation. This culture will end if the people stop going to the river, and if the culture dies the tradition dies, and the faith dies.”
Current changes in ganga
Current Challenges
The tremendous life that the Ganges supports is also the source of its greatest threat: pollution. The majority of the Ganges’ pollution is organic waste—sewage, trash, food, and human and animal remains. Over the past century, city populations along the Ganges have grown at a tremendous rate, while waste-control infrastructure has remained relatively unchanged. Sewage systems designed near the turn of the 20th century today do little more than channel waste into the river. Some 300 million gallons of waste go into the Ganges each day, and the effects are stunning: recent water samples collected in Varanasi revealed fecal-coliform counts of about 50,000 bacteria per 100 milliliters of water, 10,000% higher than the government standard for safe river bathing. The result of this pollution is an array of water-borne diseases including cholera, hepatitis, typhoid and amoebic dysentery. An estimated 80% of all health problems and one-third of deaths in India are attributable to water-borne diseases.
The sacred practice of depositing human remains in the Ganges also poses health threats because of the unsustainable rate at which partially cremated cadavers are dumped. In Varanasi, some 40,000 cremations are performed each year, most on wood pyres that do not completely consume the body. Along with the remains of these traditional funerals, there are thousands more who cannot afford cremation and whose bodies are simply thrown into the Ganges. In addition, the carcasses of thousands of dead cattle, which are sacred to Hindus, go into the river each year.
While industrial pollutants account for a smaller proportion of contamination in the Ganges, the health and environmental impacts of toxic chemical waste can be far greater. From the plains to the sea, pharmaceutical companies, electronics plants, textile and paper industries, tanneries, fertilizer manufacturers and oil refineries discharge effluent into the river. This hazardous waste includes hydrochloric acid, mercury and other heavy metals, bleaches and dyes, pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls—highly toxic compounds that accumulate in animal and human tissue. Runoff from farms in the Ganges basin adds chemical fertilizers and pesticides such as DDT, which is banned in the United States because of its toxic and carcinogenic effects on humans and wildlife. Damming the river or diverting its water, mainly for irrigation purposes, also adds to the pollution crisis. Rivers need fresh infusions of water to dilute and dissolve pollutants, and water flow is necessary to flush material downstream.
In 1985, the government of India launched the Ganga Action Plan, which was devised to clean up the river in selected areas by installing sewage treatment plants and threatening fines and litigation against industries that pollute. Almost 20 years later, the plan has been largely unsuccessful. The Western-style treatment plants simply did not meet the needs of the region. Such treatment facilities are designed for use in countries where the supply of electricity is stable, there’s no season of overwhelming monsoon rains, and the population doesn’t drink directly from the water source. Many Indians blame the plan’s failure on mismanagement, corruption and technological mistakes. A key criticism is that local communities, those most invested in the health of the river, were not included in the planning process.
The tremendous life that the Ganges supports is also the source of its greatest threat: pollution. The majority of the Ganges’ pollution is organic waste—sewage, trash, food, and human and animal remains. Over the past century, city populations along the Ganges have grown at a tremendous rate, while waste-control infrastructure has remained relatively unchanged. Sewage systems designed near the turn of the 20th century today do little more than channel waste into the river. Some 300 million gallons of waste go into the Ganges each day, and the effects are stunning: recent water samples collected in Varanasi revealed fecal-coliform counts of about 50,000 bacteria per 100 milliliters of water, 10,000% higher than the government standard for safe river bathing. The result of this pollution is an array of water-borne diseases including cholera, hepatitis, typhoid and amoebic dysentery. An estimated 80% of all health problems and one-third of deaths in India are attributable to water-borne diseases.
The sacred practice of depositing human remains in the Ganges also poses health threats because of the unsustainable rate at which partially cremated cadavers are dumped. In Varanasi, some 40,000 cremations are performed each year, most on wood pyres that do not completely consume the body. Along with the remains of these traditional funerals, there are thousands more who cannot afford cremation and whose bodies are simply thrown into the Ganges. In addition, the carcasses of thousands of dead cattle, which are sacred to Hindus, go into the river each year.
While industrial pollutants account for a smaller proportion of contamination in the Ganges, the health and environmental impacts of toxic chemical waste can be far greater. From the plains to the sea, pharmaceutical companies, electronics plants, textile and paper industries, tanneries, fertilizer manufacturers and oil refineries discharge effluent into the river. This hazardous waste includes hydrochloric acid, mercury and other heavy metals, bleaches and dyes, pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls—highly toxic compounds that accumulate in animal and human tissue. Runoff from farms in the Ganges basin adds chemical fertilizers and pesticides such as DDT, which is banned in the United States because of its toxic and carcinogenic effects on humans and wildlife. Damming the river or diverting its water, mainly for irrigation purposes, also adds to the pollution crisis. Rivers need fresh infusions of water to dilute and dissolve pollutants, and water flow is necessary to flush material downstream.
In 1985, the government of India launched the Ganga Action Plan, which was devised to clean up the river in selected areas by installing sewage treatment plants and threatening fines and litigation against industries that pollute. Almost 20 years later, the plan has been largely unsuccessful. The Western-style treatment plants simply did not meet the needs of the region. Such treatment facilities are designed for use in countries where the supply of electricity is stable, there’s no season of overwhelming monsoon rains, and the population doesn’t drink directly from the water source. Many Indians blame the plan’s failure on mismanagement, corruption and technological mistakes. A key criticism is that local communities, those most invested in the health of the river, were not included in the planning process.
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