The Ganga
The Ganga is a trans-boundary river of Asia which flows through the nations of India and Bangladesh. The 2,525 km (1,569 mi) river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state uttranchal, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. It is the third largest river by discharge.
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The Ganga is the most sacred river to Hindus. It is worshipped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism.It has also been important historically, with many former provincial or imperial capitals (such as Pataliputra, Kannauj, Kara, Kashi, Patna, Hajipur, Munger, Bhagalpur, Murshidabad, Baharampur, Kampilya, and Kolkata) located on its banks.
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It was ranked as the fifth most polluted river of the world in 2007. The Ganga Action Plan, an environmental initiative to clean up the river, has been a major failure thus far,due to corruption, lack of technical expertise, poor environmental planning, and lack of support from religious authorities.
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The Ganges begins at the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers at Devprayag.The Bhagirathi rises at the foot of Gangotri Glacier, at Gaumukh, at an elevation of 3,892 m (12,769 ft).
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Although many small streams comprise the headwaters of the Ganges, the six longest and their five confluences are considered sacred. The six headstreams are the Alaknanda, Dhauliganga, Nandakini, Pindar, Mandakini, and Bhagirathi rivers.
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The five confluences, known as the Panch Prayag, are all along the Alaknanda. They are, in downstream order:
Vishnuprayag, where the Dhauliganga joins the Alaknanda;
Nandprayag, where the Nandakini joins;
Karnaprayag, where the Pindar joins;
Rudraprayag, where the Mandakini joins;
and, finally, Devprayag, where the Bhagirathi joins the Alaknanda to form the Ganga River.
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The Ganges joins the Yamuna at the Triveni Sangam at Allahabad, a holy confluence in Hinduism. At their confluence the Yamuna is larger than the Ganges, contributing about 2,950 m3/s (104,000 cu ft/s),[18] or about 58.5% of the combined flow.
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After entering Bangladesh, the main branch of the Ganges is known as the Padma. The Padma is joined by the Jamuna River, the largest distributary of the Brahmaputra. Further downstream, the Padma joins the Meghna River, the second largest distributary of the Brahmaputra, and takes on the Meghna’s name as it enters the Meghna Estuary, which empties into the Bay of Bengal.
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The Ganges Delta, formed mainly by the large, sediment-laden flows of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, is the world’s largest delta, at about 59,000 km2 (23,000 sq mi). It stretches 322 km (200 mi) along the Bay of Bengal.
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Only the Amazon and Congo rivers have a greater average discharge than the combined flow of the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and the Surma-Meghna river system.
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The Ganga passes from
Countries -India, Bangladesh
States -Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal
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Major Tributaries are
Left-Ramganga, Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandaki, Bagmati, Koshi, Mahananda
Right-Yamuna, Tamsa, Son, Punpun
