Autobiography of the river -The Ganga
As soon as I woke up, I had to break down the hill and go down the street. Now I am a river Ganga. People call me by different names in different places. You might laugh to hear that I will write my history. Men write their personal history, so why not write?
I am the longest river in India covering 2,525 miles [2,525 km]. But I am over the river. I am the mainstream of this Indian river culture. I do not remember the exact date of my birth, but long ago I found my origin from the top of a high mountain and its iceberg. It is the Gangotri Gulf of Gaumukh in the Himalayas of India 4,000 feet [4,000 m] above sea level. Several streams have merged to form a giant. That is how I was born. The famous scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose wrote a beautiful article entitled Bhagirathir Utsa Sandhane – trying to find my symbolic origin.
He said I was born without a pile of twisted hair on Lord Shiva’s head in the Himalayan mountain range. I have been an unstable girl since my birth. I cannot stand any obstacle in my path. I run from the top of the mountain to the rock to the rock. At the moment here there is a lot of power. I carry it with broken stones and carry it down to the plains.
I am relatively peaceful when I arrive at Hardwar, the holy temple of Lord Shiva. People go on a pilgrimage and thousands of them bathe in my holy water there. And from there it flows southeast. For centuries I have provided fertile land here and there in agriculture. I also promote trade, commerce, transport and assist the economic, social and cultural development of the country.
After a long trek up the steep slope, I descended to the lowlands. Here I am losing my fast time and depth. I get slower and slower, and fatigue is evident on my face. I have to bear the scars of human life so much that I feel tired. The dirty load and garbage dumped on me from factories and mills is so bad and it smells so bad that my health is unbearable.
Therefore, my course of water in the plains is currently polluted and I am constantly fighting it. In some places the amount of dissolved oxygen is less than four milligrams per liter, and the minimum requirement is six milligrams per liter. There are 48 Class I cities and 66 Class II cities on my two sides. The untreated sewage of all these cities is thrown into my water !! In Kanpur alone, there are seventy industrial units, and the pollution of all these units is released into my body every day.
Last but not least, throwing junks. In Banares alone, 6 crore gallons are dumped into my river every day. All of this is the cause of the filth in my life. However, it is fortunate that the Ganga Action program was implemented by the Central Ganga Authority to save my life from pollution. I hope people will be better able to keep me clean and make themselves more gifted from me.
