AN NGO FOR ENVIRONMENTAL

EDUCATION, PROTECTION AND

SECURITY

Contact at:

Mob: 9793633300

Website: www.ecofriends.org

e-mail : info@ecofriends.org; rakesh@ecofriends.org

Pollution of Ganga at Kanpur

Ganga at Kanpur : A natural sewer, a garbage

depot, a morgue and more…

Why is Ganga most polluted at Kanpur ?

Ganga lacks water and flow at Kanpur

Kanpur is the most populated/polluted

town in Uttar Pradesh

Kanpur-An industrial town

Towns on both sides of the river

Kanpur Barrage

A Journey of the most polluted

stretch of the

river Ganga at Kanpur

Ganga Barrage commissioned in 2005

Ganga is allowed to flow through just one gate

during lean period

More water is needed during the

dry months

• There is no policy to augment the flow in

the river.

• Government plans to take 1600 mld from

the river at barrage by 2030.

• Hardly any water will be left for the

downstream.

Sisamau drain

Looks like a tributary of Ganga!!!

Sisamau drain discharges 140 MLD of

raw sewage into Ganga.

All efforts have failed to tap

Sisamau drain

• GAP I did partial tapping.

• Efforts were made during GAP II &

JNURM.

• Now a new project is being made under

NGRBA.

Toxic tannery effluent being bypassed

into sacred Ganga at Dapka ghat

Tannery discharging its effluent directly into Ganga

Toxic tannery effluent entering river Ganga at Kanpur

Tanneries are synonym with Ganga

pollution

• Government has been struggling with

tannery pollution for the last 30 years.

• We still do not know as how much tannery

wastewater is being generated.

• Shared system of treatment has failed.

• It should either be sole responsibility of the

government or tanneries.

Dead bodies

floating in

Ganga

Discarded clay idols along river Ganga

Dhobi Ghat in operation along river Ganga

A variety of

offerings to river

Ganga

Most of the houses treat Ganga as their backyard

Various Treatment

Plants built under

Ganga Action Plan

Phase I

Treatment plants

Neither Ganga friendly nor People friendly.

A BIG FAILURE !!!

Treated wastewater is used for irrigation

Wastewater (a mixture of

sewage and tannery effluent) as

irrigation water for Jajmau

farmlands containing hazardous

pollutants ….

Unsafe wastewater reaching farmlands

• The wastewater irrigation has impacted

the local environment, livelihoods and

health of the people.

• The food chain is also being poisoned and

the contaminated crops and the milk are

reaching the citizens of Kanpur.

Impact of wastewater irrigation on standing crops

Soil is adversely impacted by the wastewater

which contains toxicants from highly polluting

leather industries of Kanpur

Villagers with various

kinds of skin problems

(rashes, boils, papules,

vesicles, eczema, ring

worm, white spot,

blisters, decay of nails,

advance stages of

leprosy, numbness of

limbs)

Helpless victims of unsafe irrigation and drinking water

River Ganga can not be

cleaned/rejuvenated unless

• Flow in the river is augmented during the

dry months.

• Sewage and industrial effluent is stopped

from entering the river.

Can we do it?

• Can we augment the flow in the river?

How?

• How much time shall we need?

• Are we ready to dedicate the required

resources to treat the wastewater to safe

limits?

ThanksRakesh K Jaiswal

Eco Friends

Contact at:

Mob: 9793633300

Website: www.ecofriends.org

e-mail : info@ecofriends.org; rakesh@ecofriends.org