Delta Life Nr. 5 February 2016

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GANGES
The densely populated basin of the
2510-kilometre-long Ganges River in India
is home to 330 million people, almost a
quarter of the country's population. The
main river passes through five states,
each of which are responsible for water
management.
To show how complex this can be: the state
of Uttar Pradesh alone could be one of
the largest countries in the world, with an
irrigation system larger than China's.
A”er each monsoon, there is almost no
rain for the rest of the year and some
tributaries of the Ganges are reduced to
little more than flows of waste water.
Due to the intensive pumping of ground-
water, which is o”en the only source of
water for cities, agriculture and industry in
the dry season, even less water reaches the
river and the problem is getting steadily
worse. An important non-economic factor
is that the river is sacred to Hindus.
A clean Ganges alone could save India
53.8 billion dollars in health costs and
other losses. So it is hardly surprising that
successive governments are working on a
Ganges Action Plan. Deltares is supporting
those plans with a system that shows the
impact of any proposed intervention on the
river and the many stakeholders involved.
For more information:
PHOTO: DENNIS K. JOHNSON / GETTYIMAGES