The real story of Ganga

From Sacred to Sewage

The Ganga rises from the Gangotri Glacier in the Uttarakhand Himalaya and travels over 2,500 kilometres through five states — Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal — before touching the Bay of Bengal. Along the way it supports millions of people, fertile agricultural land and rich biodiversity. It also absorbs their waste.

2,500km+Length of course
5States traversed
47.7%Longest stretch — U.P.
200Sewerage projects
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Field record

Six frames along one river

The same water, photographed from the Himalayan confluence to the sea. Hover to pause — or drag the strip.

Uttarakhand Uttar Pradesh Bihar Jharkhand West Bengal

Research findings

A journey measured in five states

Ranked best to worst on water quality, the order is Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. Read downstream, the same five states tell a different story — a river that changes colour, loses oxygen and gains bacteria with every kilometre it travels.

State-wise distribution of the Ganga river stretch

How the river's length in India divides between the five states it flows through.

Clean-up unit key Trees — afforestation Fish — biodiversity conservation Industry — industrial effluent monitoring Ghats — river-front development Waste — river-surface cleaning STP — sewage treatment projects

And then, the sea

Near the Sundarbans the river regains a bluish-grey tint, merging into the Bay of Bengal as its waters dilute and mix with the sea. West Bengal is the last Indian stretch before the river crosses into Bangladesh; estuarine flow dilutes some of what the plains have added.

Namami Gange Programme

Three phases of national clean-up

What Bihar has committed

State-level projects sanctioned under and alongside the national mission.

  • ₹257 crBuxar project: a 50 MLD capacity sewage treatment plant with supporting infrastructure.
  • ₹12.53 crTotal allocation for projects sanctioned for the conservation of wetlands in Bihar.
  • ₹2,836 crGanga Water Lift Project, phase one — safe drinking water for Gaya, Rajgir and Nawada, lifted from the Ganga near Hathidah Ghat, Mokama, Patna district.

Who is working to save the Ganga

The organisations and communities named in the research.

  • National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) — runs the Namami Gange Programme: sewage infrastructure, afforestation, riverfront development, surface cleaning and biodiversity work across all five states.
  • Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) — monitors water quality nationally and receives live data from Grossly Polluting Industries through Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring Stations (OCEMS).
  • Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) — monitors water quality across the Ganga and other rivers in Bihar; its findings are reported in the state Economic Survey.
  • State governments — Uttarakhand's conservation strategy is cited as the success story; Uttar Pradesh's stretch is where stricter industrial regulation is most needed.
  • Local communities — actively involved in conservation and monitoring, taking part in clean-up drives and awareness campaigns.

The poster

Read every line of it

Move your cursor across the sheet and it magnifies exactly what sits under the lens. Change the magnification below, or use the touch toggle on a phone.

From Sacred to Sewage — the complete Ganga infographic
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Magnification
Final Infographic · single sheet Five sections 13 cities mapped

Presentation mockups

The same sheet, two places

How the infographic reads as a newspaper page and as a magazine spread.