Saving the Ganga

In upholding the ban on Ganga “beach” camps it had imposed earlier as a temporary measure to study the implications, the National Green Tribunal is acting towards conservation of the environment. But in allowing white water rafting to go on, the tribunal is not seen to be serving its own objective of total conservation of an important waterway and a lifeline. The tribunal tries to explain away the half measure of closing the camp but keeping tourism, particularly from the capital over the weekends, going on the grounds that rafting does no damage to the environment.

The fact is the Ganga is not being spoiled by tourism as much as myriad other factors, including, crucially, industrial pollution. Blaming “illegal” activities around the holy town of Rishikesh and accusing young people, who dress more boldly these days and tend to mingle and drink, of distracting sadhus and sants is a silly posture on the part of religious zealots. Of course, the money earned from camps by way of tourism fees is paltry compared to what damage visitors do to the river in one of its more pristine parts as it descends from the Himalayas. The NGT should be more concerned with what is happening downstream than in the camps and suggest measures to clean up the river. This decision to toy with tourism is too small a step.