Page 72 - Sugam Sarita

In state of West Bengal ,India, a feeder canal taking off from its right

bank diverts 50% of its flow southwards, artificially connecting it to
the Hooghly River. The Ganges continues into Bangladesh, its name
changing to the Padma. It is then joined by the Jamuna, the lower
stream of the Brahmaputra, and eventually the Meghna, forming

the major estuary of the Ganges Delta, and emptying into the Bay of
Bengal. The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna system is the third largest
river on earth by discharge.

The main stem of the Ganges begins at the town of Devprayag, at the

confluence of the Alaknanda, which is the main source stream because
of its greater length. The Ganges is threatened by severe pollution.
This poses a danger not only to humans but also to animals. 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, has been considered a failure which is variously
attributed to corruption, a lack of will in the government, poor

technical expertise, environmental planning, and a lack of support
from religious authorities.

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Fig. No. 4.4 – Industries Dependent on River

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