Editing Ganges (section)

{{short description|Major river in Asia}}
{{about|the river|other uses}}
{{redirect|Ganga|the goddess|Ganga (goddess)|other uses|Ganga (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-protected|small=yes}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox river
| name = Ganges
| native_name = 
| native_name_lang = 
| name_other = 
| name_etymology = [[Ganga (goddess)]]
<!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP -->| image = Varanasiganga.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| image_caption = The Ganges in [[Varanasi]]
| map = Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basins.jpg
| map_size = 300px
| map_caption = Map of the combined drainage basins of the Ganges (yellow), Brahmaputra (violet) and Meghna (green)
| pushpin_map = 
| pushpin_map_size = 
| pushpin_map_caption = <!---------------------- LOCATION -->
| subdivision_type1 = Country
| subdivision_name1 = [[Nepal]] & [[India]] (as Ganga), [[Bangladesh]] (as [[Padma]])
| subdivision_type2 = Bhagirathi
| subdivision_name2 = 
| subdivision_type3 = 
| subdivision_name3 = 
| subdivision_type4 = 
| subdivision_name4 = 
| subdivision_type5 = Cities
| subdivision_name5 = '''[[Uttarakhand]]''': [[Rishikesh]] & [[Haridwar]]

'''[[Uttar Pradesh]]''': [[Bijnor]], [[Garhmukteshwar]], [[Anupshahr]], [[Farrukhabad]], [[Fatehgarh]], [[Kannauj]], [[Kanpur]], [[Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh|Fatehpur]], [[Kunda, India|Kunda]], [[Prayagraj]], [[Mirzapur]], [[Varanasi]], [[Mughalsarai]], [[Ghazipur]] & [[Ballia]]

'''[[Bihar]]''': [[Chausa]], [[Buxar]], [[Chhapra]], [[Danapur]], [[Patna]], [[Hajipur]], [[Barh]], [[Mokama]], [[Begusarai]], [[Munger]], [[Sultanganj, Bihar|Sultanganj]], [[Bhagalpur]] & [[Manihari]]

'''[[Jharkhand]]''': [[Sahibganj]]

'''[[West Bengal]]''': [[Murshidabad]], [[Palashi]], [[Nabadwip]], [[Shantipur]], [[Kolkata]], [[Serampore]], [[Chinsurah]], [[Baranagar]], [[Diamond Harbour]], [[Haldia]], [[Budge Budge]], [[Howrah]], [[Uluberia]] & [[Barrackpore]]

'''[[Rajshahi Division]]''': [[Rajshahi]], [[Pabna]], [[Ishwardi Upazila|Ishwardi]]

'''[[Khulna Division]]''': [[Kushtia]], [[Shilaidaha]]

'''[[Dhaka Division]]''': [[Dhaka]], [[Narayanganj]], [[Gazipur]], [[Munshiganj Sadar Upazila|Munshiganj]], [[Faridpur, Bangladesh|Faridpur]]

'''[[Chittagong Division]]''': [[Chandpur Sadar Upazila|Chandpur]], [[Noakhali Sadar Upazila|Noakhali]]

'''[[Barisal Division]]''': [[Bhola Sadar Upazila|Bhola]] 
<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->| length = {{convert|2525|km|mi|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Jain|Agarwal|Singh|2007}}
| width_min = 
| width_avg = 
| width_max = 
| depth_min = 
| depth_avg = 
| depth_max = 
| discharge3_location = [[Farakka Barrage]]{{sfn|Kumar|Singh|Sharma|2005}}
| discharge3_min = {{convert|180|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge3_avg = {{convert|16,648|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge3_max = {{convert|70,000|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge2_location = [[Ganges Delta]], [[Bay of Bengal]]
| discharge2_min = 
| discharge2_avg = {{convert|18,691|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="cbsharma">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-nufdUc0Ps0C&dq=Ganga+river+18,691+m3/s&pg=PA45 |title=Applied Environmental Sciences & Engineering |author=C B Sharma |publisher=BFC Publications |date=11 January 2021 |isbn=9780313380075 |access-date=17 November 2021 |archive-date=20 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220111532/https://books.google.com/books?id=-nufdUc0Ps0C&dq=Ganga+river+18,691+m3/s&pg=PA45 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| discharge2_max = <!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->
| source1 = Confluence at [[Devprayag]], [[Uttarakhand]] of the [[Alaknanda River|Alaknanda river]] (the [[River source|source stream]] in [[hydrology]] because of its greater length) and the [[Bhagirathi River|Bhagirathi river]] (the source stream in [[Hinduism|Hindu tradition]]). The headwaters of the river include: [[Mandakini River|Mandakini]], [[Nandakini]], [[Pindar River|Pindar]] and the [[Dhauliganga River|Dhauliganga]], all tributaries of the Alaknanda.<ref name=ganges-britannica>{{citation|last1=Lodrick|first1=Deryck O.|last2=Ahmad|first2=Nafis|title=Ganges River|publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica|date=28 January 2021|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Ganges-River|access-date=2 February 2021|archive-date=7 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200507172054/https://www.britannica.com/place/Ganges-River|url-status=live}}</ref>
| source1_location = Devprayag, the beginning of the [[main stem]] of the Ganges
| source1_coordinates = 
| source1_elevation = 
| mouth = [[Bay of Bengal]]
| mouth_location = [[Ganges Delta]]
| mouth_coordinates = 
| mouth_elevation = 
| progression = 
| waterfalls = 
| river_system = 
| basin_size = {{convert|1,999,000|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}<ref name="cbsharma"/>
| tributaries_left = [[Ramganga]], [[Garra River|Garra]], [[Gomti River|Gomti]], [[Tamsa River (East)|Tamsa]] [[Ghaghara River|Ghaghara]], [[Gandak River|Gandak]], [[Burhi Gandak River|Burhi Gandak]], [[Koshi River|Koshi]], [[Mahananda River|Mahananda]]
| tributaries_right = [[Yamuna]], [[Tamsa River|Tamsa]] (also known as Tons River), [[Karmanasa River|Karamnasa]], [[Sone River|Sone]], [[Punpun River|Punpun]], [[Falgu River|Falgu]], [[Kiul River|Kiul]], [[Chandan River|Chandan]], [[Ajay River|Ajay]], [[Damodar River|Damodar]], [[Rupnarayan River|Rupnarayan]]
| custom_label = 
| custom_data = 
| extra = 
| discharge1_location = [[Ganges Delta|Mouth of the Ganges]] (Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna); Basin size {{convert|1,999,000|km2|abbr=on}}, [[Bay of Bengal]]<ref name="cbsharma"/>
| discharge1_avg = {{convert|38,129|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Kumar|Singh|Sharma|2005}} to
{{convert|43,900|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="cbsharma"/>
{{convert|1389|km3/year|m3/s|abbr=on}}
}}

The '''Ganges''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|æ|n|dʒ|iː|z}} {{respell|GAN|jeez}}; in India: '''Ganga''', {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|ʌ|ŋ|ɡ|ɑː}} {{respell|GUNG|ah}}; in Bangladesh: '''Padma''', {{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ʌ|d|m|ə}} {{respell|PUD|mə}})<ref name=salman-uprety>{{harvnb|Salman|Uprety|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8GEr4fyDbqgC&pg=PA129 129]}}. "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international {{wikidata|property|P31}} which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China."</ref><ref name=swain-ganges>{{citation|last=Swain|first=Ashok|title=Managing Water Conflict: Asia, Africa, and the Middle East|publisher=Routledge|page=54|year=2004|isbn=9781135768836|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0IHpYZtKzXMC&pg=PA54|quote=The Ganges is an international river that flows through the territories of India and Bangladesh. In the Indian side, the Ganges is called the Ganga.&nbsp;... India's Ganga then becomes Padma for a Bangladeshi.}}</ref><ref name=PCGN-Ganges>{{citation|title=India: Factfile|url= https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/936421/India_Factfile.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024202519/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/936421/India_Factfile.pdf |archive-date=2021-10-24 |url-status=live|publisher=[[Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use|Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use (PCGN)]]|page=11|quote=PCGN recommended name=Ganges; Local Names: Padma (Bangladesh), Ganga (India); Feature type: River}}</ref><ref name=uslcsh34-ganges>{{citation|title=US Library of Congress Subject Headings, thirty-fourth edition (LCSH 34)|url=https://www.loc.gov/aba/publications/Archived-LCSH34/lcshintro.pdf|chapter=Subject headings: G|chapter-url=https://www.loc.gov/aba/publications/Archived-LCSH34/G.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221020339/http://loc.gov/aba/publications/Archived-LCSH34/G.pdf |archive-date=2016-12-21 |url-status=live|year=2012|page=23|quote=Ganges River (India and Bangladesh); UF (use for) Gangā River (India and Bangladesh); BT (broader term) Rivers—Bangladesh, Rivers—India; NT (narrower term) Padma River (Bangladesh)}}</ref> is a [[trans-boundary river]] of Asia which flows through [[India]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The {{Convert|2525|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} river rises in the western [[Himalayas]] in the [[States and union territories of India|Indian state]] of [[Uttarakhand]]. It flows south and east through the [[Gangetic Plain|Gangetic plain]] of [[North India]], receiving the right-bank tributary, the [[Yamuna]], which also rises in the western Indian Himalayas, and several left-bank tributaries from [[Nepal]] that account for the bulk of its flow.<ref name=swain-ganges-2>{{cite book|last=Swain|first=Ashok|title=Managing Water Conflict: Asia, Africa, and the Middle East|publisher=Routledge|page=54|year=2004|isbn=9781135768836|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0IHpYZtKzXMC&pg=PA54|quote=This river originates on the southern slope of the Himalayan range, and on its way receives supplies from seven major tributaries. Three of them - the Gandak, Karnali (Ghagara) and Kosi — pass through the Himalayan 'Hindu' Kingdom of Nepal, and they supply the major portion of the Ganges flow.|access-date=16 November 2021|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328172558/https://books.google.com/books?id=0IHpYZtKzXMC&pg=PA54#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Salman|Uprety|2002|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8GEr4fyDbqgC&pg=PA129 129]–[https://books.google.com/books?id=8GEr4fyDbqgC&pg=PA130 130]}} "The tributaries that originate in Nepal and China, including the Kosi, Gandaki, Kamala, Bagmati, Kamali and Mahakali, account for about 45 percent of the Ganges flow."</ref> 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]]. The Ganges continues into Bangladesh, its name changing to the [[Padma River|Padma]]. It is then joined by the [[Jamuna River (Bangladesh)|Jamuna]], the lower stream of the [[Brahmaputra River|Brahmaputra]], and eventually the [[Meghna River|Meghna]], forming the major estuary of the [[Ganges Delta]], and emptying into the [[Bay of Bengal]]. The Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna system is the [[List of rivers by discharge|second-largest river on earth by discharge]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=World of Change: Padma River – NASA Earth Observatory|date=31 July 2018|url=https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/world-of-change/PadmaRiver|access-date=5 December 2021|archive-date=30 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530220940/https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/world-of-change/PadmaRiver|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Ganges River Basin|url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/ganges-river-basin/|date=1 October 2019|publisher=National Geographic Society|language=en|access-date=18 May 2020|archive-date=28 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528230116/https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/ganges-river-basin/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[main stem]] of the Ganges begins at the town of [[Devprayag]],<ref name=ganges-britannica/> at the confluence of the [[Alaknanda River|Alaknanda]], which is the [[River source|source stream]] in [[hydrology]] on account of its greater length, and the [[Bhagirathi River|Bhagirathi]], which is considered the source stream in [[Hindu mythology]].

The Ganges is a lifeline to hundreds of millions of people who live in its basin and depend on it for their daily needs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0gYQrebGwY |title=The Mighty River {{vbar}} Ganga: River From The Skies {{vbar}} National Geographic |publisher=[[National Geographic Society]] |date=29 April 2020 |access-date=9 November 2023 |archive-date=9 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109062104/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0gYQrebGwY |url-status=live }}</ref> It has been important historically, with many former provincial or imperial capitals such as [[Pataliputra]],<ref name="Ghosh">{{cite book|last=Ghosh|first=A.|title=An encyclopaedia of Indian archaeology|year=1990|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=law3AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA334|access-date=27 April 2011|publisher=BRILL|oclc=313728835|isbn=978-90-04-09264-8|page=334}}</ref> [[Kannauj]],<ref name="Ghosh"/> [[Sonargaon]], [[Dhaka]], [[Bikrampur]], [[Kara (Kaushambi)|Kara]], [[Munger]], [[Varanasi|Kashi]], [[Patna]], [[Hajipur]], [[Kanpur]], [[Delhi]], [[Bhagalpur]], [[Murshidabad]], [[Baharampur]], [[Kampilya]], and [[Kolkata]] located on its banks or those of its tributaries and connected waterways. The river is home to approximately 140 species of fish, 90 species of [[amphibian]]s, and also [[reptile]]s and [[mammal]]s, including [[critically endangered]] species such as the [[gharial]] and [[South Asian river dolphin]].<ref name="Rice2012">{{citation|last=Rice|first=Earle|title=The Ganges River|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vdeXBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA25|year=2012|publisher=Mitchell Lane Publishers, Incorporated|isbn=978-1612283685|page=25|access-date=22 March 2017|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328172550/https://books.google.com/books?id=vdeXBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA25#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> The Ganges is the most sacred river to [[Hindus]].<ref name="Alter2001">{{citation|last=Alter|first=Stephen|title=Sacred Waters: A Pilgrimage Up the Ganges River to the Source of Hindu Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qb9yQgAACAAJ|access-date=30 July 2013|year=2001|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Trade & Reference Publishers|isbn=978-0-15-100585-7|archive-date=24 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324113652/https://books.google.com/books?id=qb9yQgAACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> It is worshipped as the goddess ''[[Ganga in Hinduism|Ganga]]'' in [[Hinduism]].<ref name="BhattacharjiBandyopadhyay1995">{{cite book|last1=Bhattacharji|first1=Sukumari|last2=Bandyopadhyay|first2=Ramananda|title=Legends of Devi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B0j0hRgWsg8C&pg=PA54|access-date=27 April 2011|year=1995|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-81-250-0781-4|page=54|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328172609/https://books.google.com/books?id=B0j0hRgWsg8C&pg=PA54#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Pollution of the Ganges|Ganges is threatened by severe pollution]]. This not only poses a danger to humans but also to many species of animals. The levels of [[fecal coliform]] bacteria from [[human waste]] ([[human feces|feces]] and [[urination|urine]]) in the river near [[Varanasi]] are more than 100 times the Indian government's official limit.<ref name="Rice2012"/> The [[Ganga Action Plan]], an environmental initiative to clean up the river, has been considered a failure{{efn|name=haberman}}{{efn|name=gardner}}<ref name=cleanperish>[https://web.archive.org/web/20111103162858/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-03-19/edit-page/28148254_1_national-river-conservation-plan-ganga-action-plan-ganga-and-yamuna "Clean Up Or Perish"], ''[[The Times of India]]'', 19 March 2010</ref> which is variously attributed to [[corruption]], a lack of will in the government, poor technical expertise,{{efn|name=sheth}} poor [[environmental planning]],{{efn|name=singh}} and a lack of support from religious authorities.{{efn|name=puttick}}