The headwaters of the Alakananda are formed by snow melt from peaks such as Nanda Devi, Trisul, and Kamet. The Bhagirathi is considered to be the source in Hindu culture and mythology, although the Alaknanda is longer, and therefore, hydrologically the source stream. The upper phase of the river Ganges begins at the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers in the town of Devprayag in the Garhwal division of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The Ganges delta in a 2020 satellite image. The Ganga Action Plan, an environmental initiative to clean up the river, has been considered a failure which is variously attributed to corruption, a lack of will in the government, poor technical expertise, environmental planning and a lack of support from religious authorities. The levels of fecal coliform bacteria from human waste in the river near Varanasi are more than a hundred times the Indian government's official limit. This poses a danger not only to humans but also to animals. The Ganges is threatened by severe pollution. It is worshipped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism. The Ganges is the most sacred river to Hindus. The river is home to approximately 140 species of fish, 90 species of amphibians, and also reptiles and mammals, including critically endangered species such as the gharial and South Asian river dolphin. It has been important historically, with many former provincial or imperial capitals such as Pataliputra, Kannauj, Kara, Munger, Kashi, Patna, Hajipur, Delhi, Bhagalpur, Murshidabad, Baharampur, Kampilya, and Kolkata located on its banks or the banks of tributaries and connected waterways. The Ganges is a lifeline to millions of people who live in its basin and depend on it for their daily needs. The main stem of the Ganges begins at the town of Devprayag, at the confluence of the Alaknanda, which is the source stream in hydrology on account of its greater length, and the Bhagirathi, which is considered the source stream in Hindu mythology. The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna system is the third largest river on earth by discharge. It is then joined by the Jamuna, the lower stream of the Brahmaputra, and eventually the Meghna, forming the major estuary of the Ganges Delta, and emptying into the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges continues into Bangladesh, its name changing to the Padma. In West Bengal state, India, a feeder canal taking off from its right bank diverts 50% of its flow southwards, artificially connecting it to the Hooghly river. It flows south and east through the Gangetic plain of North India, where it receives the right-bank tributary, the Yamuna which also rises in the western Indian Himlayas, and several left-bank tributaries from Nepal that account for the bulk of its flow. The 2,525 km (1,569 mi) river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The Ganges ( / ˈ ɡ æ n dʒ iː z/ GAN-jeez) (in India: Ganga ( / ˈ ɡ ʌ ŋ ɡ ə/ GUNG-gə) in Bangladesh: Padma ( / ˈ p ʌ d m ə/ PUD-mə)) is a trans-boundary river of Asia which flows through India and Bangladesh. Yamuna, Tamsa (also called Tons), Karamnasa, Sone, Punpun, Falgu, Kiul, Chandan, Ajoy, Damodar, RupnarayanĬoordinates: 25☁8′N 83☀1′E / 25.30°N 83.01☎ / 25.30 83.01 Ramganga, Garra, Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Koshi, Mahananda Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (Basin size 1,730,300 km 2 (668,100 sq mi), Bay of Bengal
ĭevprayag, the beginning of the main stem of the Ganges The headwaters of the river include: Mandakini, Nandakini, Pindar and the Dhauliganga, all tributaries of the Alaknanda. Rajshahi Division: Rajshahi, Pabna, Ishwardiĭhaka Division: Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Munshiganj, FaridpurĬhittagong Division: Chandpur, Noakhali Barisal Division: BholaĬonfluence at Devprayag, Uttarakhand of the Alaknanda river (the source stream in hydrology because of its greater length) and the Bhagirathi river (the source stream in Hindu mythology). Jharkhand: Sahibganj West Bengal: Murshidabad, Plassey, Nabadwip, Shantipur, Kolkata, Baranagar, Diamond Harbour, Haldia, Budge Budge, Uttar Pradesh: Fatehgarh, Bijnor, Kannauj, Bithoor, Kasganj, Kanpur, Allahabad, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Ballia, Farrukhabad, Naroraīihar: Bhagalpur, Patna, Hajipur, Katihar, Munger
Map of the combined drainage basins of the Ganges (yellow), Brahmaputra (violet) and Meghna (green)