The continued pollution of the Ganges, the largest river in India, creates a big danger for people's health and the environment. The river provides water to about 40% of India's population across 11 states and helps about 500 million people—more than any other river in the world.

Many efforts to clean the river have not worked well. After becoming Prime Minister, Narendra Modi promised to help clean the river and reduce pollution. In June 2014, the government's budget included the Namami Gange project. By 2016, about ₹30 billion (US$460 million) had been spent on cleaning efforts, but progress was limited.

Possible solutions include removing dams upstream to increase water flow during dry seasons, building new dams or reservoirs upstream or along the coast to add more water during dry seasons, and creating new systems to treat sewage and industrial waste throughout the Ganges' area.

Some solutions, like building a coastal reservoir, would cost a lot of money and require large amounts of pumping to reduce pollution in the river.

Causes

The main reasons for water pollution in the Ganges River are the throwing away of human waste and animal waste, the growing number of people living in cities near the river, and the release of waste from factories into the river.

The Ganges flows through 100 cities with more than 100,000 people, 97 cities with between 50,000 and 100,000 people, and about 48 towns. A large amount of sewage, which contains a lot of organic material, comes from homes in these cities. Three out of every four sewage systems in the northern plains do not treat the waste before it goes into the Ganges and its smaller rivers. Even when sewage treatment plants exist, more than half of them are not working or are not working well. A report from 2022 showed that only 37% of the 72,368 million liters of sewage produced each day is treated.

Many cities with factories are located along the Ganges, including Kanpur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, and Patna. These cities and factories add to the river’s pollution by putting untreated waste into it.

One coal-powered power plant near the Pandu River, which is a smaller river connected to the Ganges, burns 600,000 tons of coal each year and creates 210,000 tons of fly ash. The ash is placed in ponds, mixed with wastewater, and then sent into the Pandu River. Fly ash contains harmful metals like lead and copper. The amount of copper in the Pandu River is 1,000 times higher than in clean water before it reaches the Ganges.

Industrial waste makes up about 12% of the total waste in the Ganges. Even though this is a small part of the total, it is a big problem because this waste is often dangerous and cannot be broken down by nature. Plastic and other industrial waste, including factory wastewater, also pollute the river. A major problem is that the river has less water than it used to because people use it for farming faster than it can refill.

Because the Ganges is considered holy in Hinduism, more than 70 million Hindus bathe in the river during festivals to wash away past mistakes. Some items, like food, waste, and leaves, are left in the river, which adds to its pollution.

In the holy city of Varanasi, about 40,000 bodies are cremated each year and placed in the Ganges. Many families cannot afford enough wood to burn the bodies completely, so some bodies are only half-burned before being put into the river.

Dams and pumping stations

The Haridwar Dam was built in 1854 during British rule in India. It has made the Ganges River worse by greatly reducing the amount of water flowing through it. The Farakka Barrage was built to direct fresh water into the Hooghly River. However, it has increased the salt levels in the Ganges, harming groundwater and soil near the river. This has caused problems between India and Bangladesh, with Bangladesh considering the Ganges Barrage Project to help reduce salt levels. A government report suggested canceling 34 planned dams because of environmental risks, but the Indian government still plans to build about 300 dams on the Ganges and its tributaries soon.

Three more dams are located on the Ganges at Bijnor, Narora, and Kanpur. The dams at Bijnor and Narora take all the water, even during dry seasons, and send it through canals to irrigate areas near Allahabad city. Water upstream of the Kanpur barrage is used for drinking water during dry seasons. However, downstream of Kanpur, there is not enough water during dry seasons.

Several pumping stations are located along the Ganges below the Kanpur barrage. These stations help provide water for irrigation in the region.

The large pump houses are located at these coordinates:

• Rukunpur: 26°10′21″N 80°38′57″E
• Kanjauli Kachhar: 25°17′37″N 82°13′15″E
• Hakanipur Kalan: 25°12′57″N 83°01′15″E
• Bhosawali: 25°20′46″N 83°10′11″E
• Shekpur: 25°32′13″N 83°11′57″E
• Chochakpur: 25°28′55″N 83°25′11″E
• Lamui: 25°23′20″N 83°32′11″E
• Chausa: 25°31′11″N 83°54′04″E

These pumping stations move most of the river’s base flow downstream of Kanpur city.

To keep the Ganges flowing and reduce pollution from homes and industries, at least 5,000 cusecs of water must flow from Narora to Farakka during the eight-month dry season. This could be done by building storage reservoirs with a capacity of 100 thousand million cubic feet on the Ganges’ tributaries above Narora city. The stored water would be used only for the minimum environmental flow needed.

Also, a series of dam bridges should be built along the river from Kanpur to Allahabad. These bridges would increase the surface area of polluted water in reservoirs, allowing pollutants to be washed away during monsoon floods. Several dams are already planned between Farakka and Allahabad as part of the National Waterway 1 project. This project aims to make the 1,620 km river stretch navigable from Haldia to Allahabad and could be extended to Kanpur.

Statistics

In 2006, a study found that pollution levels in the Ganges River had been very high over the past 12 years. Fecal coliform bacteria, which can cause illness, reached up to 100,000,000 per 100 milliliters of water. In the most polluted area, Varanasi, the amount of oxygen needed by bacteria to break down waste (biological oxygen demand) averaged more than 40 milligrams per liter. About 66% of people living near the river were estimated to have water-related illnesses, such as stomach infections.

The Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB) divides river water quality into four groups: A (safe for drinking), B (safe for bathing), C (safe for farming), and D (heavily polluted). The Ganges was placed in category D. Tests also showed coliform bacteria levels of 5,500 per 100 milliliters, which is too high for farming, bathing, or drinking.

In Kanpur, the leather industry operates over 400 tanneries employing about 50,000 people. These factories use harmful chemicals, including chromium. A treatment plant was built in 1995, but chromium levels in the Ganges remain more than 70 times higher than safe limits.

A 2012 study by the National Cancer Registry Program (NCRP) found that people living near the Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Bengal had higher cancer rates than other regions in India.

By 2020, research showed that levels of dangerous heavy metals in the Ganges had improved significantly in recent years. This study was supported by the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF).

Effects

Mercury testing in fish and other samples from the Ganges basin showed that some fish muscles had high amounts of mercury, with about 50-84% of it being organic mercury. A strong connection was found between mercury levels in fish muscles and both their eating habits and their size.

The Ganges river dolphin is one of the few types of freshwater dolphins in the world. It is listed as endangered, and its population is thought to be fewer than 2,000. Dams built for hydroelectric power and irrigation along the Ganges stop the dolphins from moving up and down the river, which is a major reason for their declining numbers.

The Ganges softshell turtle (Nilssonia gangetica) lives in the Ganges, Indus, and Mahanadi river systems in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. This turtle lives in deep rivers, streams, large canals, lakes, and ponds with muddy or sandy bottoms. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, this species is vulnerable. Because of their long lifespans and high position in the aquatic food chain, these turtles are especially at risk from heavy metal pollution, a serious problem in the Ganges.

Some dams being built in the Ganges basin will cover large areas of nearby forests. For example, the Kotli-Bhel dam at Devprayag will cover 1,200 hectares of forest, harming the forest ecosystem and its wildlife.

An analysis of Ganges water in 2006 and 2007 found strong links between waterborne diseases and using the river for activities like bathing, laundry, washing, eating, cleaning utensils, and brushing teeth. Water from the Ganges has been connected to diseases such as dysentery, cholera, hepatitis, and severe diarrhea, which remains one of the leading causes of death among children in India.

Cleanup efforts

The Ganga Mahasabha is an Indian group that works to protect the Ganges River. It was started in 1905 by Madan Mohan Malaviya. In 1914, British India agreed to the Ganga Mahasabha's request, recognizing that the continuous flow of the Ganges is a basic right for Hindus. This agreement is called "Aviral Ganga Samjhauta Divas" (Uninterrupted Ganga Flow Agreement Day). A final agreement, called the Agreement of 1916, became active on 19 December 1916. However, after India gained independence, the government did not fully follow the agreement. More water is now being taken from the river for farming, which has made pollution and pressure on the river worse.

The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was started in June 1985 by Rajiv Gandhi, who was India's Prime Minister at the time. It focused on 25 important towns, including 6 in Uttar Pradesh, 4 in Bihar, and 15 in West Bengal. ₹862.59 crore was spent on this plan. The main goal was to improve water quality by stopping sewage and industrial waste from entering the river. Other goals included:
– Controlling pollution from human waste, animal waste, and the disposal of human remains in the river.
– Research to protect the river's plants and animals and improve its health.
– Developing new ways to treat sewage, such as using Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) technology and planting trees.
– Helping soft-shelled turtles, which can reduce pollution.
– Finding ways to use waste for energy, like making methane, and using fish farming to create income.
– Creating a model for cleaning other polluted rivers.
– Using a plan that considers how the river's environment and living things interact.

Even though the first phase of the GAP faced delays, it helped start a national plan to clean other polluted rivers. The Government of India later proposed the National River Action Plan (NRAP), which used lessons from the GAP and included input from state governments. Under the NRAP, studies were done on 19 polluted and 14 less polluted areas along 19 rivers, including 11 areas in Madhya Pradesh.

Phase II of the GAP covered 59 towns in five states, with more than ₹5.053 billion spent. Rivers like the Yamuna, Gomti, Damodar, and Mahananda had their own plans.

The National Ganges River Basin Authority (NGRBA) was created in 2009 by India's central government under the Environment Protection Act. It declared the Ganges the "National River" of India. The NGRBA includes the Prime Minister and chief ministers of states where the Ganges flows. In 2011, the World Bank gave $1 billion to support the NGRBA.

In 2010, the Indian government announced a $4 billion plan to stop untreated sewage and industrial waste from entering the Ganges by 2020. A World Bank representative said in 2011 that the plan aimed to clean the river completely.

The Sankat Mochan Foundation (SMF) is working with a company in California to design a new sewage treatment system for Varanasi.

The Supreme Court of India has ordered the closure and relocation of many factories, like Tulsi, along the Ganges. In 2010, the government made the river stretch between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi an eco-sensitive zone.

In July 2014, the Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley, announced a new program called "Namami Gange" (meaning "Obeisance to the Ganges River"). ₹2,037 crore was allocated for this project, which aims to reduce pollution, protect the river, and improve its health. The program covers eight states. The Ministry of Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation planned to make 1,674 villages along the Ganges free of open defecation, costing ₹1,700 crore. By July 2016, ₹2,958 crore (about $460 million) had been spent on cleaning the river.

As part of the program, the government shut down 48 industrial units near the Ganges.

The program has a budget of ₹20,000 crore for the next five years, which is five times more than the total spent in the past 30 years (about ₹4,000 crore since 1985). The central government will pay all costs for projects under this program. Learning from past failures, the government plans to provide long-term support for operations and maintenance and use partnerships between public and private groups to address pollution.

To improve enforcement, the government plans to create a four-battalion Ganges Eco-Task Force. The program will improve coordination between government departments and include major investments in infrastructure managed by other ministries, such as Urban Development, Drinking Water & Sanitation, and Environment, Forests & Climate Change.

"Namami Gange" will focus on reducing pollution by treating wastewater from open drains. It will use methods like bio-remediation, in-situ treatment, and sewage and effluent treatment plants. The program will improve existing treatment plants and take quick steps to stop pollution at river exits.

The program is expected to create jobs, improve living conditions, and benefit the people who rely on the river.

The main parts of the Namami Gange Program are:
1. Sewerage Treatment Infrastructure
2. River-Front Development
3. River-Surface Cleaning
4. Bio-Diversity
5. Afforestation
6. Public Awareness
7. Industrial Effluent Monitoring
8. Ganga Gram

After the success of the Namami Gange Program, the government allocated ₹22,500 crore for Mission-II, which will continue cleaning the Ganges until 2026. From FY 2014–15 to January 2023, the government gave ₹14,084.72 crore to the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). Of this, ₹13,607.18 crore was given to state governments and other groups to help clean the river.

Ganga Manthan was a national meeting held in July 2014 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. It was organized by the NMCG to discuss ways to clean the river and get input from people involved.

Nepal has constructed many…

Clean Ganga Fund

In September 2014, the Union Cabinet approved creating the Clean Ganga Fund. This fund was meant to support activities under the Namami Gange program, which aims to clean the Ganges River.

Key activities include:
• Cleaning the Ganges River
• Improving waste treatment systems
• Protecting the plants and animals in the river
• Building public facilities like restrooms and pathways
• Projects such as improving ghats (river steps), conducting research, and developing new ideas

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is the main group responsible for carrying out tasks for the National Ganga Council. This council was created in October 2016 under the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection, and Management) Authorities Order 2016. This order ended the National Ganga River Basin Authority. The goal is to clean the Ganges and its smaller rivers completely. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is the current minister in the Jal Shakti Ministry. As of 2025, the mission has tax bills from the Income Tax Department totaling ₹243.74 crore and is submitting appeals to address these demands.

In 2014, the Namami Gange Program was launched as the main project of the Union Government under the National Mission for Clean Ganga. ₹20,000 crore was allocated for this program to reduce pollution, protect the river, and improve its health. Unlike earlier projects, Namami Gange is the most thorough program for river conservation.

Protests in favor of cleaning the Ganges

In early 2011, a Hindu monk named Swami Nigamananda Saraswati fasted until he died, protesting against polluting riverbed mining in the Ganges near Haridwar, Uttarakhand. After his death in June 2011, his ashram leader, Swami Shivananda, fasted for 11 days starting on 25 November 2011 to continue the protest. On 5 December 2011, the Government of Uttarakhand issued an order to stop riverbed mining in the Bhogpur and Bishanpur ghats. Officials said that mining in the Ganges would now be studied by a special committee, which would examine its effects on the river and nearby areas.

G. D. Agrawal was an environmental activist who supported Ganga Mahasabha, an organization started in 1905 by Madan Mohan Malviya to demand the removal of dams on the Ganges. With help from other activists like Anna Hazare, the then-Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, agreed to Agrawal’s requests. As a result, Singh called for a meeting of the National River Ganga Basin Authority (NRGBA) and asked officials to use ₹26 billion (US $520M) to build sewer systems, sewage treatment plants, pumping stations, electric crematoria, community toilets, and improve riverfronts. Agrawal died on 11 October 2018 after fasting without a set end date since 22 June 2018, demanding the government keep its promises to clean and protect the Ganges.

Plausible solutions for the future

To manage the Ganges River basin more sustainably, the following measures can be implemented:

• Maintain Minimum Water Flow: Keep at least 51% of the river’s natural water flow to help it clean itself. Hydropower projects must be redesigned to meet this requirement, and strict rules must be followed to avoid penalties for not doing so.
• Use Sustainable Farming Methods: Encourage practices such as saving soil health, rotating crops, and using natural fertilizers to reduce pollution and runoff from farms.
• Recycle Industrial Water: Reuse wastewater from industries to reduce harm to ecosystems, lower pollution, and provide nutrients for farming. Use partially treated water for non-drinking purposes like irrigation.
• Install Sanitation Systems: Use biodigester toilets near the river to stop open defecation. These toilets process waste to create methane gas (a clean energy source) and safe fertilizer from the waste.
• Upgrade Sewer Systems: Use solar energy to improve and maintain existing sewage treatment plants.
• Educate and Involve People: Teach students about river protection in schools and work with groups like NGOs, local communities, and governments. During lockdowns, reduced human activity led to a 50% drop in water pollution, showing the benefits of limiting harmful actions.

Denial

The National Green Tribunal shared a report showing that the level of fecal coliform bacteria in the Ganges at Prayagraj during the 2025 Kumbh Mela was 1,400 times higher than the allowed level. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the Ganges was not polluted and claimed its water was "clean enough to consume." He said the report was an effort to harm the event's reputation.