Ganga Utsav 2022 | 07 Nov 2022

For Prelims: National Mission for Clean Ganga, River Ganga, National Ganga Council, Clean Ganga Fund, Ganga Action Fund.

For Mains: Ganga Utsav- The River Festivals 2022.

Why in News?

Recently, the Ministry of Jal Shakti by the collaboration of The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has organized Ganga Utsav- The River Festivals 2022.

What is Ganga Utsav 2022?

  • About:
    • The NMCG celebrates the festival every year to strengthen the Public – River Connection.
      • NMCG is the implementation wing of National Ganga Council, set up in 2016, which replaced the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NRGBA).
      • The NMCG has been registered in the Guinness Book of World Records on the first day of Ganga Utsav 2021 for the highest number of photos of handwritten notes that were uploaded on Facebook in an hour.
    • It highlights the significance of Jan Bhagidari (People's Participation) in the revival of Ganga, with a focus on encouraging stakeholder engagement and public participation towards the rejuvenation of river Ganga.
  • Ganga Utsav 2022:
    • Dedicating the grand event to the 75 years of Indian Independence (Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav), the aim is to hold similar events at more than 75 locations in states to celebrate the rivers of India.
    • The festival will include a blend of art, culture, music, knowledge, poetry, dialogue, and stories.
    • Several awareness activities will take place in districts to establish a connection with the locals, and promote Namami Gange as a mass movement.

What are the Government Initiatives on River Ganga?

  • Ganga Action Plan: It was the first river action plan to improve the water quality by the interception, diversion and treatment of domestic sewage.
    • The National River Conservation Plan is an extension to this plan, which aims at cleaning the Ganga River under the Ganga Action Plan phase-2.
  • National River Ganga Basin Authority: It was formed in the year 2009 under Section-3 of the Environment Protection Act 1986.
  • Clean Ganga Fund: In 2014, it was formed for cleaning up of the Ganga, setting up of waste treatment plants and conservation of biotic diversity of the river.
  • Bhuvan-Ganga Web App: It ensures the involvement of the public in the monitoring of pollution entering into the river Ganga.
  • Ban on Waste Disposal: In 2017, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned the disposal of any waste in the Ganga.

What are the Key Points of River Ganga?

  • It is the longest river of India flowing over 2,510 km of mountains, valleys and plains and is revered by Hindus as the most sacred river on earth.

  • The Ganga basin outspreads in India, Tibet (China), Nepal and Bangladesh over an area of 10,86,000 Sq.km.
  • In India, it covers states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Union Territory of Delhi draining an area of 8,61,452 Sq.km which is nearly 26% of the total geographical area of the country.
  • It originates in the snowfields of the Gangotri Glacier in the Himalayas.
  • At its source, the river is called as the Bhagirathi. It descends down the valley upto Devprayag where after joining another hill stream Alaknanda, it is called Ganga.
  • The principal tributaries joining the river from right are the Yamuna and the Son.
  • The Ramganga, the Ghaghra, the Gandak, the Kosi and the Mahananda join the river from left. The Chambal and the Betwa are the two other important sub- tributaries.
  • The Ganga River basin is one of the most fertile and densely populated areas of the world and covers an area of 1,000,000 sq. km.
  • The Ganges River Dolphin is an endangered animal that specifically habitats this river.
  • The Ganga joins the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh and continues its run under the name Padma or Ganga.
  • The Ganga widens out into the Ganges Delta in the Sundarbans swamp of Bangladesh, before it ends its journey by emptying into the Bay of Bengal.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Prelims

Q. Consider the following pairs: (2013)

National Park River flowing through the Park

  1. Corbett National Park : Ganga
  2. Kaziranga National Park : Manas
  3. Silent Valley National Park : Kaveri

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

(a) 1 and 2
(b) 3 only
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None

Ans: (d)

Q. Which of the following are the key features of ‘National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA)’? (2016)

  1. River basin is the unit of planning and management.
  2. It spearheads the river conservation efforts at the national level.
  3. One of the Chief Ministers of the States through which the Ganga flows becomes the Chairman of NGRBA on rotation basis.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (a)

Mains

Q. Discuss the Namami Gange and National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) programmes and causes of mixed results from the previous schemes. What quantum leaps can help preserve the river Ganga better than incremental inputs? (2015)

Source: PIB