Recent studies by ICMR say

Recent studies by ICMR say, It's so full of killer pollutants that those living along its banks in Uttar Pradesh, ^{Sony VAIO VGN-AW93FS Battery}

Bihar and Bengal are more prone to cancer than anywhere else in the country.

Conducted by the National Cancer Registry Programme under the Indian Council of Medical Research, the study throws up shocking findings. The river is thick with heavy metals and lethal chemicals that cause cancer, it says. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-AW93GS Battery}

"We know that the incidence of cancer was highest in the country in areas drained by the Ganga. We also know why. Now, we are going deeper into the problem. Hopefully, we'll be able to present a report to the health ministry in a month or two," NCRP head A Nandkumar said.

Human development, mostly agriculture, has replaced nearly all of the original natural vegetation of the Ganges basin. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-AW93HS Battery}

More than 95% of the upper Gangetic Plain has been degraded or converted to agriculture or urban areas. Only one large block of relatively intact habitat remains, running along the Himalayan foothills and including Rajaji National Park, Jim Corbett National Park, and Dudhwa National Park. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-AW93ZFS Battery}

As recently as the 16th and 17th centuries the upper Gangetic Plain harbored impressive populations of wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), tigers (Panthera tigris), Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), gaurs (Bos gaurus), barasinghas (Rucervus duvaucelii), sloth Bears (Melursus ursinus) and Indian lions. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-AW93ZGS Battery}

In the 21st century there are few large wild animals, mostly deer, boars, wildcats, and small numbers of wolves, jackals, and foxes. Bengal tigers survive only in the Sundarbans area of the Ganges Delta. Crocodiles and barasingha are also found in the Sundarbans.^[18] The Sundarbands freshwater swamp ecoregion, however, is nearly extinct. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-AW93ZHS Battery}

Threatened mammals in the upper Gangetic Plain include the tiger, elephant, sloth bear, and chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis).

Fish are found in all the major rivers of the Ganges basin, and are a vital food source for many people. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ11EN Battery}

In the Bengal area common fish include featherbacks (Notopteridae family), barbs (Cyprinidae), walking catfish (Clarias batrachus), gouramis(Anabantidae), and milkfish (Chanos chanos).^[18] The critically endangered Ganges shark (Glyphis gangeticus) is also found in the river and other places in south Asia.^{[108] Sony VAIO VGN-BZ11MN Battery}

Many types of birds are found throughout the basin, such as myna, parrots, crows, kites, partridges, and fowls. Ducks andsnipes migrate across the Himalayas during the winter, attracted in large numbers to wetland areas.^[18] There are no endemicbirds in the upper Gangetic Plain. The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) and Lesser Florican (Sypheotides indicus) are considered globally threatened. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ11XN Battery}

The natural forest of the upper Gangetic Plain has been so thoroughly eliminated it is difficult to assign a natural vegetation type with certainty. There are a few small patches of forest left, and they suggest that much of the upper plains may have supported a tropical moist deciduous forest with sal (Shorea robusta) as a climax species. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ12VN Battery}

The Ganges River itself supports the mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) and the gharial (Gavialis gangeticus). The river's most famed fauna is the freshwater dolphin Platanista gangetica gangetica, the Ganges River dolphin,^[106] recently declared India's national aquatic animal.

A similar situation is found in the lower Gangetic Plain, which includes the lower Brahmaputra River. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ12XN Battery}

The lower plains contain more open forests, which tend to be dominated by Bombax ceiba in association with Albizzia procera, Duabanga grandiflora, and Sterculia vilosa. There are early seral forest communities that would eventually become dominated by the climax species sal (Shorea robusta), if forest succession was allowed to proceed. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ31VT Battery}

In most places forests fail to reach climax conditions due to human causes.^[110] The forests of the lower Gangetic Plain, despite thousands of years of human settlement, remained largely intact until the early 20th century. Today only about 3% of the ecoregion is under natural forest and only one large block, south of Varanasi, remains. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ31XT Battery}

There are over forty protected areas in the ecoregion, but over half of these are less than 100 square kilometres (39 sq mi).^[110] The fauna of the lower Gangetic Plain is similar to the upper plains, with the addition of a number of other species such as the Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) and the Large Indian Civet (Viverra zibetha). ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ560 Battery}

The Ganges River Dolphin, which used to exist in large schools near to urban centres in both the Ganges and Brahmaputrarivers, is now seriously threatened by pollution and dam construction. Their numbers have now dwindled to a quarter of their numbers of fifteen years before, and they have become extinct in the Ganges's main tributaries. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ560N24 Battery}

A recent survey by theWorld Wildlife Fund found only 3,000 left in the water catchment of both river systems.The Ganges river dolphin is one of only four freshwater dolphins in the world. The other three are the baiji (Lipotes vexillifer) of the Yangtze River in China, now likely extinct, the bhulan of the Indus River in Pakistan, and the boto of the Amazon River in Brazil. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ560N30 Battery}

There are several marine dolphines whose ranges include some freshwater habitats, but these four are the only dolphins who live only in freshwater rivers and lakes.

Along with ever-increasing pollution, water shortages are getting noticeably worse. Some sections of the river are already completely dry. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ560P Battery}

Around Varanasi the river once had an average depth of 60 metres (200 ft), but in some places it is now only 10 metres (33 ft).

"To cope with its chronic water shortages, India employs electric groundwater pumps, diesel-powered tankers and coal-fed power plants. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ560P20 Battery}

If the country increasingly relies on these energy-intensive short-term fixes, the whole planet's climate will bear the consequences. India is under enormous pressure to develop its economic potential while also protecting its environment—something few, if any, countries have accomplished. What India does with its water will be a test of whether that combination is possible." ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ560P22 Battery}

The Tibetan Plateau contains the world's third-largest store of ice. Qin Dahe, the former head of the China Meteorological Administration, said that the recent fast pace of melting and warmer temperatures will be good for agriculture and tourism in the short term; but issued a strong warning: ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ560P28 Battery}

"Temperatures are rising four times faster than elsewhere in China, and the Tibetan glaciers are retreating at a higher speed than in any other part of the world.... In the short term, this will cause lakes to expand and bring floods and mudflows... In the long run, the glaciers are vital lifelines for Asian rivers, including the Indus and the Ganges. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ560P30 Battery}

Once they vanish, water supplies in those regions will be in peril."In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its Fourth Report, stated that the Himalayan glaciers which feed the river, were at risk of melting by 2035. The IPCC has now withdrawn that prediction, as the original source admitted that it was speculative and the cited source was not a peer reviewed finding. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ560P34 Battery}

In its statement, the IPCC stands by its general findings relating to the Himalayan glaciers being at risk from global warming (with consequent risks to water flow into the Gangetic basin).

Illegal mining in the Ganges river bed for stones and sand for construction work has been a long problem in Haridwar district, Uttarakhand, where it touches the plains for the first time. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ561 Battery}

This is despite the fact that quarrying has been banned in Kumbh Mela area zone covering 140 km² area in Haridwar.^[118] On 14 June, Swami Nigamanada, a 34-year old monk who was fasting since 19 February 2011 against illegal mining and stone crushing along the Ganges near Haridwar, died at the Himalayan Hospital in Jollygrant in Dehradun, after prolonged coma in the hospital's intensive care unit. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ561N20 Battery}

His death put spotlight on the activity including intervention by Union Environment minister.

In Hinduism, the river Ganges is referred to as Gaṅgā (Sanskrit and Hindi: गंगा Gaṅgā, Burmese: ဂင်္ဂါ, IPA: [ɡɪ́ɴɡà]Ginga; Tamil: கங்கை gangkai, Thai: คงคา Khongkha) and is considered sacred. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ561P20 Battery}

Personified as a goddess, Gaṅgā is worshiped by Hindus who believe that bathing in the river causes the remission of sins and facilitates liberation from the cycle of life and death. Pilgrims travel long distances to immerse the ashes of their kin in the waters of the Ganges, bringing their spirits closer to nirvana. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ562P Battery}

Several places sacred to Hindus lie along the banks of the river Ganges, including Gangotri, Haridwar, Allahabad andVaranasi. During the Loy Krathong festival in Thailand, candlelit floats are released into waterways to honor the Buddhaand the goddess Ganga (พระแม่คงคา, คงคาเทวี) for good fortune and washing away sins. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZ563P Battery}

There are several Hindu beliefs that give various versions of the birth of Ganga. According to one version, the sacred water in Brahma's Kamandalu (water vessel) became personified as a maiden, Ganga. According to another (Vaishnavite) legend, Brahma had reverently washed the feet of Vishnu and collected this water in his Kamandalu. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZAAFS Battery}

According to yet a third version, Ganga was the daughter of Himavat, king of the mountains, and his consort Mena; she was thus a sister of the goddess Parvati. Every version declares that she was raised in the heavens, under the tutelage of Brahma.

Several years later, a king named Sagara magically acquired sixty thousand sons. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZAAHS Battery}

One day,King Sagar performed a ritual of worship for the good of the kingdom. One of the integral parts of the ritual was a horse, which was stolen by the jealous Indra. Sagara sent all his sons all over the earth to search for the horse. They found it in the nether-world (orUnderworld) next to a meditating sage Kapila. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZAANS Battery}

Believing that the sage had stolen the horse, they hurled insults at him and caused his penance to be disturbed. The sage opened his eyes for the first time in several years, and looked at the sons of Sagara. With this glance, all sixty thousand were burnt to death.^[1]

The souls of the sons of Sagara wandered as ghosts since their final rites had not been performed. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-BZAAPS Battery}

When Bhagiratha, one of the descendants of Sagara, son of Dilip, learnt of this fate, he vowed to bring Ganga down to Earth so that her waters could cleanse their souls and release them to heaven.

Bhagiratha prayed to Brahma that Ganga come down to Earth. Brahma agreed, ^{Sony VAIO VGN-CS118E/Q Battery}

and he ordered Ganga to go down to the Earth and then on to the nether regions so that the souls of Bhagiratha's ancestors would be able to go to heaven. Ganga felt that this was insulting and decided to sweep the whole Earth away as she fell from the heavens. Alarmed, Bhagiratha prayed to Shiva that he break up Ganga's descent. ^{Sony VAIO VGN-CS118E/R Battery}

Ganga arrogantly fell on Shiva's head. But Shiva calmly trapped her in his hair and let her out in small streams. The touch of Shiva further sanctified Ganga. As Ganga travelled to the nether-worlds, she created a different stream to remain on Earth to help purify unfortunate souls there. She is the only river to follow from all the three worlds –Swarga (heaven), Prithvi (Earth) and, Patala (netherworld or hell). ^{Sony VAIO VGN-CS118E/W Battery}

Thus is called "Tripathagā" (one who travels the three worlds) in Sanskrit language.

Because of Bhagiratha's efforts Ganga descended to Earth and hence the river is also known as Bhagirathi, and the term "Bhagirath prayatna" is used to describe valiant efforts or difficult achievements. Sony VAIO VGN-CS11S/P Battery

Another name that Ganga is known by is Jahnavi. Story has it that once Ganga came down to Earth, on her way to Bhagiratha, her rushing waters created turbulence and destroyed the fields and the sadhana of a sage called Jahnu. He was angered by this and drank up all of Ganga's waters. Upon this, the Gods prayed to Jahnu to release Ganga so that she could proceed on her mission. Sony VAIO VGN-CS11S/Q Battery

Pleased with their prayers, Jahnu released Ganga (her waters) from his ears. Hence the name "Jahnavi" (daughter of Jahnu) for Ganga.

It is sometime believed that the river will finally dry up at the end of Kali Yuga (the era of darkness, the current era) just as with the Sarasvati river, and this era will end. Sony VAIO VGN-CS11S/W Battery

Next in (cyclic) order will be the Satya Yuga or the era of Truth.

The Ganges is mentioned in the Rigveda, the earliest and theoretically the holiest of the Hindu scriptures. The Ganges is mentioned in the nadistuti (Rigveda 10.75), which lists the rivers from east to west. In RV 6.45.31, the word Ganga is also mentioned, but it is not clear if the reference is to the river. Sony VAIO VGN-CS11Z/R Battery

RV 3.58.6 says that "your ancient home, your auspicious friendship, O Heroes, your wealth is on the banks of the Jahnavi (JahnAvyAm)". This verse could possibly refer to the Ganges.^[2] In RV 1.116.18–19, the Jahnavi and the Ganges River Dolphin occur in two adjacent verses. Sony VAIO VGN-CS120J/P Battery

According to the Hindu scriptures like Skanda Purana, the goddess Ganga is foster-mother to Karttikeya (Murugan), who was actually a son of Shiva and Parvati.

Parvati who created an image of Ganesha (son of Shiva and Parvati) out of her bodily impurities but which became endowed with life after immersion in the sacred waters of the Ganges. Sony VAIO VGN-CS120J/Q Battery

Therefore Ganesha is said to have two mothers—Pārvati and Gangā and hence calledDvaimātura and also Gāngeya (the son of Ganga).^[5]

According to Devi Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu has three wives, who constantly quarrel with each other, so that eventually, he keeps onlyLakshmi, giving Ganga to Shiva and Saraswati to Brahma. Sony VAIO VGN-CS120J/R Battery

The Hindu epic, Mahabharata tells that the Vasus, cursed by Vashishta had requested Ganga to be their mother. Ganga incarnated and became the wife of King Santanu on condition that at no stage shall he question her actions, or she would leave him. As seven Vasus were born as their children, one after the other, Sony VAIO VGN-CS190JTB Battery

Ganga drowned them in her own waters, freeing them from their punishment and the king made no opposition. Only when the eighth was born did the king finally oppose his wife, who therefore left him. So the eighth son, Dyausincarnated, remained alive, imprisoned in mortal form, Sony VAIO VGN-CS190JTP Battery

and later became known in his mortal incarnation as Bhishma (Devavrata), who is one of the most respected characters of the Mahābhārata. Sony VAIO VGN-CS190JTQ Battery,Sony VAIO VGN-CS190JTR Battery,Sony VAIO VGN-CS190JTW Battery