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River Ganges is now a deadly source of cancer

Gabbar Singh

Gabbar Singh

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If Indians don't do something about this quick then they could be set for an environmental disaster. It's also rather ironic how badly the Ganges is treated given the religious significance of it.



KOLKATA: The holy Ganga is a poison river today. It's so full of killer pollutants that those living along its banks in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal are more prone to cancer than anywhere else in the country, says a recent study.

Conducted by the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP) under the Indian Council of Medical Research, the national study throws up shocking findings. The river is thick with heavy metals and lethal chemicals that cause cancer, it says.

"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 Union health ministry in a month or two," NCRP head A Nandkumar said.

The worst-hit stretches are east Uttar Pradesh, the flood plains of Bengal and Bihar. Cancer of the gallbladder, kidneys, food pipe, prostate, liver, kidneys, urinary bladder and skin are common in these parts. These cases are far more common and frequently found here than elsewhere in the country, the study says.

Even more frightening is the finding that gallbladder cancer cases along the river course are the second highest in the world and prostate cancer highest in the country. The survey throws up more scary findings: Of every 10,000 people surveyed, 450 men and 1,000 women were gallbladder cancer patients. Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar's Vaishali and rural Patna and the extensive tract between Murshidabad and South 24-Parganas in West Bengal are the hot zones. In these parts, of every 1 lakh people surveyed, 20-25 were cancer patients. This is a national high. Relentless discharge of pollutants into the riverbed is responsible.

"This is the consequence of years of abuse. Over years, industries along the river have been releasing harmful effluents into the river. The process of disposing of waste has been arbitrary and unscientific. The river and those living along its banks are paying a price for this indiscretion," Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute director Jaideep Biswas said. The Kolkata-based cancer institute is an associate of the National Cancer Registry Programme.

Biswas, a senior oncologist, said Ganga water is now laced with toxic industrial discharge such as arsenic, choride, fluoride and other heavy metals. Dipankar Chakarabarty, director, Jadavpur University School of Environmental Studies, concurs. "We've been extremely careless. Indiscriminate release of industrial effluents is to blame for this."

"The arsenic that's gets into the river doesn't flow down. Iron and oxygen present in the water form ferroso ferric oxide, which in turn bonds with arsenic. This noxious mix settles on the riverbed. Lead and cadmium are equally heavy and naturally sink in the river. This killer then leeches back into the groundwater, making it poisonous," Chakrabarty explains.

Surface water, Chakrabarty explains, is treated before use. But that's clearly not the case with groundwater and it's mostly consumed raw, often straight from source. The impact is devastating. "The consequences of using or drinking this poison can manifest earliest in two years and latest in 20. But by then, it's way too late." Those who've been bathing in this poison river are equally at danger, says Biswas. The need of the hour is to strictly implement laws regulating discharge of industrial waste into the river.
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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...of-cancer-study-says/articleshow/16845517.cms
 
not sure about other states..but arsenic poisoning is a problem in west bengal and bangladesh..water in calcutta is not potable..
 
justarslan said:
Terrible news for Hindus.
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its not that muslims dont drink from the Ganga..the gangetic belt has the most concentration of muslims in india.. but you probably knew that! and it flows into bangladesh..with all the arsenic.. so terrible news for people of that region too..
 
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Last time I went near that I river...our family saw the river and we all decided we would rather live with sins we committed than get a "holy" bath,... :D
 
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navroks123 said:
Last time I went near that I river...our family saw the river and we all decided wwoue ld rather live with sins we committed than get a "holy" bath,... :D
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if you really want to enjoy clean ganga..go uphills.. in uttarakhand.. once it reaches the plains of UP..the pollution begins..
 
Btw...anybody knows what happened to that clean Ganges initiative....I remember reading that lot of money is associated...
 
seen those way before....That is Varanasi....Now that city is EPIC in so many ways....it is unbelievable...have always questioned the sanity of people who even visit that place....and then Call it a holy place..and then comeback and feel like they have clean of their sins....I refuse to believe there are more 1 or 2 worse places than this....but again he took very very bad pictures and ignored the whole city...so if you visit the city is not as bad as this series of pictures creates...even then mere presence of the things above pictures suggest is enough to turn anybody off...
 
At least you will go to heaven after you die or wherever Hindus go after passing away :moyo
 
KingKhanWC said:
Reminds me of these pictures.

http://www.chinasmack.com/2010/pictures/filthy-india-photos-chinese-netizen-reactions.html

The Hindu leaders need to speak out against bathing in the river, forget the after life this is a matter of present life and death.
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lol.. this is what the article says..
"This is the consequence of years of abuse. Over years, industries along the river have been releasing harmful effluents into the river. The process of disposing of waste has been arbitrary and unscientific. The river and those living along its banks are paying a price for this indiscretion," Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute director Jaideep Biswas said. The Kolkata-based cancer institute is an associate of the National Cancer Registry Programme.

Biswas, a senior oncologist, said Ganga water is now laced with toxic industrial discharge such as arsenic, choride, fluoride and other heavy metals. Dipankar Chakarabarty, director, Jadavpur University School of Environmental Studies, concurs. "We've been extremely careless. Indiscriminate release of industrial effluents is to blame for this."
Click to expand...

and you come up with bathing being the reason.. :asif
 
Enjoy Ganga before Haridwar, after Haridwar it gets polluted and remains so till it reaches Howrah.

Worst offender is city of Kanpur - all the extract from leather units finds its way to Ganga.

Save Ganga was initiated in 80's - "sabka pet bhar gaya".
 
Serious question : what do Hindus do with the mithais and fruits offered to Bhagwans ? I have always wondered whenever I saw it in films .
 
defend muslims the whole day over a video..and make good points i must say.. but when it comes to hindus..the logic vanishes like a cheshire cat!!
 
Looney said:
Serious question : what do Hindus do with the mithais and fruits offered to Bhagwans ? I have always wondered whenever I saw it in films .
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we eat it after that..its called prasad.. i dont pray at all..but always ready to eat the mithais and fruits offerred!!
 
hopelessbiscuit said:
lol.. this is what the article says..
Click to expand...

There is nothing funny about those pictures.:zaka


and you come up with bathing being the reason.. :asif
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lol, I didn't say bathing was the reason, I suggested people shouldn't bathe after knowing this because the article says...

"Those who've been bathing in this poison river are equally at danger, says Biswas. "

Now go and bathe yourself in a nice hot cup of cha. :asif
 
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KingKhanWC said:
There is nothing funny about those pictures.:zaka




lol, I didn't say bathing was the reason, I suggested people shouldn't bath after knowing this because the article says...

"Those who've been bathing in this poison river are equally at danger, says Biswas. "

Now go and bathe yourself in a nice hot cup of cha. :asif
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didnt bother to look at the pictures.. but still flaws in your comment.. why only hindus?? muslims use the water from ganga as well..so muslim leaders should tell muslims not to drink water from there.. i mean..if you are so concerned about hindus..where is the concern for the muslims?? and you must be knowing the gangetic plain as the highest density of muslims in india
 
hopelessbiscuit said:
didnt bother to look at the pictures.. but still flaws in your comment.. why only hindus?? muslims use the water from ganga as well..so muslim leaders should tell muslims not to drink water from there.. i mean..if you are so concerned about hindus..where is the concern for the muslims?? and you must be knowing the gangetic plain as the highest density of muslims in india
Click to expand...

I am suprised to know this!!!!!! Any specific reason....?
 
hopelessbiscuit said:
didnt bother to look at the pictures.. but still flaws in your comment.. why only hindus?? muslims use the water from ganga as well..so muslim leaders should tell muslims not to drink water from there.. i mean..if you are so concerned about hindus..where is the concern for the muslims?? and you must be knowing the gangetic plain as the highest density of muslims in india
Click to expand...

lol, biscuit try reading what I wrote. The only concern which I mentioned was people bathing in the river. Are you telling me Muslims have started bathing in the ganges too?
 
KingKhanWC said:
You're like Gabbar Singh, one day you're an atheist then suddenly back to a Hindu the next(Sikh in Gabbars case). :yk
Click to expand...

I am always an atheist in Belief...but since I am from a hindu family and my family does follow certain customs...I go with the group!! if my grand mother says do not eat the sweets for 1 hour...I do not eat it..not coz I fear god..or think god exists...but I respect her and her belief and will not offend her...as a matter fact anybody...i even did namaaz with my muslim friends on one ramzan day and broke fast...so no big deal...I can follow certain things to make people happy...
 
KingKhanWC said:
lol, biscuit try reading what I wrote. The only concern which I mentioned was people bathing in the river. Are you telling me Muslims have started bathing in the ganges too?
Click to expand...

but does arsenic affect only the bathers..what about those who drink the water.. unless you had more concern for hindus..and were tired of showing concern for muslims today.. then i appreciate your big heartedness :yk
 
since religion has been brought to a topic of environmental concern because of industrial waste..here are the solutions.. hindu leaders ask hindus not to bathe there.. muslim leaders tell muslims not to drink the water..and the maulvis in bangladesh tell the bengalis not to bathe swim or drink the water of the ganges.. logic people, logic!!
 
navroks123 said:
I am always an atheist in Belief...but since I am from a hindu family and my family does follow certain customs...I go with the group!! if my grand mother says do not eat the sweets for 1 hour...I do not eat it..not coz I fear god..or think god exists...but I respect her and her belief and will not offend her...as a matter fact anybody...i even did namaaz with my muslim friends on one ramzan day and broke fast...so no big deal...I can follow certain things to make people happy...
Click to expand...

So you're an atheist Hindu who takes part in namaaz, that's cleared it up(no pun intendted on thread topic). Thanks.


but does arsenic affect only the bathers..what about those who drink the water.. unless you had more concern for hindus..and were tired of showing concern for muslims today.. then i appreciate your big heartedness
Click to expand...

Where did I mention arsenic? People should protect themselves any way then can from this. I only made the point regarding bathing which is part of the Hindu religion. I can accept people not drinking the water, Hindu or Muslim but find it hard to believe Hindu's will stop bathing which is a religious obligation according to them because of this. Do you think they will continue bathing?
 
navroks123 said:
^^^^

hey how about clinic it :D
Click to expand...

i know..the first solution that should come to a sensible person is that industrial waste must be stopped.. but you saw the reaction from the intelligent khan here... he was selectively concerned for the hindus only... god i am touched :6:
 
KingKhanWC said:
So you're an atheist Hindu who takes part in namaaz, that's cleared it up(no pun intendted on thread topic). Thanks.
Click to expand...

Lol...and I am atheist and I do whatever makes people who surrounding me happy in that moment.....as long as it is not affecting me....

no..I am not atheist hindu...just an atheist....
 
KingKhanWC said:
Where did I mention arsenic? People should protect themselves any way then can from this. I only made the point regarding bathing which is part of the Hindu religion. I can accept people not drinking the water, Hindu or Muslim but find it hard to believe Hindu's will stop bathing which is a religious obligation according to them because of this. Do you think they will continue bathing?
Click to expand...

right..now you are talking sense..by thinking about people..and not hindus or muslims.. :19:

why are you so sure that people will stop drinking water? it may not be a religious obligation but it is a biological obligation for muslims and hindus alike.. but why focus only on bathing.. you know it..because of the religion involved..and gives you a free pass!!
 
navroks123 said:
I am suprised to know this!!!!!! Any specific reason....?
Click to expand...

Gangetic plains have always been source of attraction to people since ages -

1. Fertile soil.
2. Flat topography.
3. Moderate climate.
4. Natural resources.

It started with Aryans and then continued for ages.
 
the religious minded hindus should follow what Sant Ravidasji said.. mann changa toh kathauti mein ganga.. if your mind is pious..ganges is in your bath tub..
 
hopelessbiscuit said:
lol.. this is what the article says..


and you come up with bathing being the reason.. :asif
Click to expand...

just look at those bloated dead bodies floating in the Ganga and also animals (dogs,crows) feeding on dead bodies :facepalm:

take it easy, kingkhan was proposing those good ideas for the betterment of the hindus:msd
 
LethalSami said:
just look at those bloated dead bodies floating in the Ganga and also animals (dogs,crows) feeding on dead bodies :facepalm:

take it easy, kingkhan was proposing those good ideas for the betterment of the hindus:msd
Click to expand...

i was taking it easy :yk
and i appreciate his selective concern for hindus..when muslims use the ganga as well..both in india and bangladesh..i was touched!!
 
Never saw Ganges and do not have any intention to go there either.

There are a lot of jokes on people dipping into the river. Too much industrial, animal and human pollution.
 
india is not developed enough where environment becomes an issue for the people..when it actually is a big problem for us...and when people wake up might be too late.. the government cant even ban gutka's how are they going to protect the environment..
 
Lol.... First step would be to put dustbins..It is unbelievable...During my 12th grade...my friends sister who came from usa..was talking about dustbins and stuff...so After we road side Stuff...my and my friend were looking for dustbins..and then decided we will through it in a dest bin...We could not find any after roaming in the bike for 10 minutes...so we went into a bakery and throw it in their dustbin......And when there is one bustbin per street.....it was always over flodded...thank god...few cities have those garbage collectors coming to houses now in last 5 to 6 yrs or so ...every day..little better now...
 
Any thing that enters the state of UP turns into poo poo. Too many people, too much poverty.

For Gods sake, 22 crore people live in an area equal to Pak Sindh.

Deplorable population growth in UP has contributed to a lot of problems and ruined every holy place there. :facepalm:
 
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waste management is such a problem..but it never becomes an issue for people.. they are ready to spit and pee on the walls..through garbage just anywhere...as long as my house is clean..i dont care about the rest..
 
mithun_minhas said:
Any thing that enters the state of UP turns into poo poo. Too many people, too much poverty.

For Gods sake, 22 crore people live in an area equal to Pak Sindh.

Deplorable population growth in UP has contributed to a lot of problems and ruined every holy place there. :facepalm:
Click to expand...

22 crores? Wow thats about 4-5 crores more then entire Pakistani population.
 
shan said:
22 crores? Wow thats about 4-5 crores more then entire Pakistani population.
Click to expand...

Yup, the enormous (and growing) population along the path of the Ganges is a major contributor to the problem. The river is close to 1,500 miles long and is used by many different entities, including for industrial purposes. It's going to take a major technological and governance effort to clean it up. It can't be done by individuals.
 
Any Idea where this went..

India Aims $1 Billion at Sacred but Filthy Ganges
By NIDA NAJAR
Published: June 14, 2011
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NEW DELHI — Indian officials signed an agreement with the World Bank on Tuesday to use a $1 billion loan to finance the first major new effort in more than 20 years to cleanse the revered Ganges, one of the world’s dirtiest rivers.

One-third of India’s 1.2 billion people live along the banks of the 1,560-mile-long river, many of them relying on it for drinking, cooking and washing. Millions more visit for ritual baths to cleanse themselves of sin. But untreated sewage, agricultural runoff and industrial waste have fouled its waters for decades, and hydroelectric projects and dams threaten to choke off its waters in spots.

On Tuesday, a religious leader on a hunger strike over the effect of illegal mining on the state of the river, Swami Nigamanand, died after spending weeks in a coma..

The long-awaited loan is part of a government project that aims to halt the discharge of untreated wastewater into the river by 2020. The project, founded in 2009, replaced the 1986 Ganga Action Plan, the last large-scale attempt to address the pollution. That initiative was able to introduce waste water treatment in certain areas, it failed to halt raw waste disposal into the Ganges. Critics said it was inadequately financed and poorly managed.

Indian officials and representatives of the World Bank said Tuesday that they hoped the new project would be more successful. They cited the greater amount of money being invested, the broader focus on regional environmental health and a planned public education campaign.

“What we’re trying to do is take a step back and not look at just one sector — waste water — but take a larger sectoral approach,” said Genevieve Connors, a water resources specialist for the World Bank who is involved in the project.

But she noted that the task of cleaning a river was enormous, saying it “takes decades and costs hundreds of billions of dollars.”

Indian officials acknowledge that the Ganges is just one of many rivers that present public health problems. “Most of India’s rivers have become sewers,” said the environment minister, Jairam Ramesh. “We have to now really bring water into rivers.”

Japan helped to finance a cleanup project in the Yamuna River, the largest tributary to the Ganges, in 1993. But that project has largely failed to make a dent in the river’s pollution.
Click to expand...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/world/asia/15ganges.html?_r=0

Did it even start!!!! where did the movie go?
 
hopelessbiscuit said:
its not that muslims dont drink from the Ganga..the gangetic belt has the most concentration of muslims in india.. but you probably knew that! and it flows into bangladesh..with all the arsenic.. so terrible news for people of that region too..
Click to expand...

Is not taking bath in Ganges religious obligation for Hindus similar to going on Hajj for Muslims?

People can drink the water by boiling or using other more advance methods of water purification.
 
justarslan said:
Is not taking bath in Ganges religious obligation for Hindus similar to going on Hajj for Muslims?

People can drink the water by boiling or using other more advance methods of water purification.
Click to expand...

not comparable to Hajj..

so you think common people in UP bihar and bengal..boil water let alone use advanced water purification?? i would say it is more dangerous for people who live in that belt who have to use the same water everyday..whether directly..or through municipality..or through wells.. than people who come once a year to bathe there.. and not to forget it ultimately flows into bangladesh..

but i dont actually blame you for seeing the pollution of ganges as a hindu problem..
 
copying from wikipedia..which is my extended brain when i am on the internet..

Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb (Hindi-Urdu: गंगा जमुनी तहज़ीब, گنگا جمنی تهزیب, Ganges-Yamuna Culture) A euphemism for the mutually participatory co-existence of Hindu and Muslim culture of Northern India.
This term is used for the culture of the central plains of Northern India, which is regarded as a fusion of Hindu and Muslim elements.
The region of Awadh in the state of Uttar Pradesh is usually considered to be the center of this culture.Lucknow, Kanpur,Faizabad-Ayodhya,Varanasi (Benares)are few of the many centres of this culture.
Nawabs of Awadh have been fore-runners of this culture.
Lucknow’s Oudhi culture is mix of ganga jamuni tehzeeb which brought together the best of the Persian and Mughal cultures of Islam and the Banarsi Raas rang. Khayal, thumri, Ghazal and Kathak flourished in Lucknow.
Ustad Bismillah Khan was considered an embodiment of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb.
 
It's not a surprise that Ganga would be polluted, as it passes through very dense and populated areas. Also, the fact that Ganga's force is quite rapid in most areas. That means, it erodes land/mountain very rapidly. And there are lots of mountain that contains different kind of minerals. So, chemical reactions are bound to happen.

Industrial Pollutants have been added to every single river for ages. But thanks to Water's ability as a solvent and better purification, it doesn't affect the farming. (drinking water in India still comes from mountain and deep well)

Want to experience pure Ganga? Go up north, incredibly cold Water! But it's amazing feeling.

Want to improve your immune system? Take a bath in Ganga in lower part. Close to UP and then West Bengal. You will be exposed to many pathogens, which your body will produce antibodies to it. Cancer happen with persistent exposure of pollutant, which is rampant in West Bengal. Whole land is full of arsenic, esp. close to Bangladesh.
 
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Don't worry guys. By December 2012 the whole area will be washed away clean. Believe me I am right. I have seen it in the movie :)
 
^ Naegleria is the name of that parasite. Causes almost incurable Encephalitis. It grows in fresh water. But it's very rare.
 
Has nothing to do with religious practice, but basic lack of sanitation, i.e. toilets and potties, means the people take the easy way out and do dooddy, bathe, washing, deposit dead bodies, industrial waste discharge into the Ganges whose river basin is populated by over 400 million people.

Ganges is like open sewage system, probably the world's biggest.
 
Looney said:
Serious question : what do Hindus do with the mithais and fruits offered to Bhagwans ? I have always wondered whenever I saw it in films .
Click to expand...

Same thing which is done with a Kurbani ka bakra. Most of our Gods are strictly vegeterian
 
Indiafan said:
Same thing which is done with a Kurbani ka bakra. Most of our Gods are strictly vegeterian
Click to expand...

Do they divide them into three even part, give 1 part to needy, give 1 part to relatives and friends and keep 1 part for personal use?
 
justarslan said:
Do they divide them into three even part, give 1 part to needy, give 1 part to relatives and friends and keep 1 part for personal use?
Click to expand...

No such rules . We can either share it with our relatives or eat ourself in any quantity . Anything offered in name of God is Prasad .
 
Thank goodness I have seen the Ganges only in the state of Uttarakhand and too in Rishikesh and upwards when we went trekking into the Valley of Flowers. The pollution starts from Haridwar (25 kms from Rishikesh) but not sure how bad that is as we did not visit the Ghats in Haridwar.

Within the VoF, the water of Alaknanda, a river that confluences with the Bhagirathi to become the Ganges, is so pristinely amazing (of course it is mountain mineral water) that we drank a bit too much from it. A few hundred kms down the course, it turms into poison!
 
This is the reality of ganga based hindu civilization. The original vedic people who lived on upper indus region were a very clean people
 
Millions have been promised for cleaning Ganga, Sheila Dixit took out 1500 crore to clean Yamuna and make a tourist spot in Yamuna bank like you have in European countries.. No one knows where even 1 rupee went for that initiative..

Similarly where did all the money go for clean Ganga initiative??

Politicians from every party just fill their pockets..

Having said that it’s not just the politicians Indian public is so stupid that they pollute the rivers themselves.. To add to that the industrial waste isn’t being curbed.. Its all a gloomy situation but this thread was just bumped to score some brownie points and start online arguments..
 
From the OP

"The arsenic that's gets into the river doesn't flow down. Iron and oxygen present in the water form ferroso ferric oxide, which in turn bonds with arsenic. This noxious mix settles on the riverbed. Lead and cadmium are equally heavy and naturally sink in the river. This killer then leeches back into the groundwater, making it poisonous," Chakrabarty explains.

Surface water, Chakrabarty explains, is treated before use. But that's clearly not the case with groundwater and it's mostly consumed raw, often straight from source. The impact is devastating. "The consequences of using or drinking this poison can manifest earliest in two years and latest in 20. But by then, it's way too late." Those who've been bathing in this poison river are equally at danger, says Biswas. The need of the hour is to strictly implement laws regulating discharge of industrial waste into the river.
Click to expand...
Going by the part in bold, even if by some miracle all industrial pollutants flowing into the river are stopped immediately and the people stop using the river as an open sewer, it will still take many decades, if not even longer, for the levels of pollutants that have leached into the groundwater to reduce to safe levels.

As stated by others, not only does much of the drinking water comes from ground water, but much of the water for crop irrigation also comes from the ground water. Meaning that not only are these pollutants in the drinking water, but they are also being recycled into the food chain.

There doesn't appear to be a simple solution. The people are going to live with the consequences for generations even if measures are taken immediately to stop industrial pollutants and human waste entering the river and its tributaries. 400 million (and growing) people can't move out of the area. They and their descendants have no choice but to live with the consequences.
 
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