UP govt plans to utilise ‘river ranching’ to make Ganga clean

VARANASI : In a continuation of its efforts to make the Ganga pollution-free and clean while maintaining the ecosystem of the river, Uttar Pradesh government has decided to incorporate ‘river ranching’ under the Namami Gange programme.

According to a press statement, an action plan has been formulated in this regard and under the plan, about 15 lakh fishes of different species will be released into the river by the department of fisheries in 12 districts of the state.

These districts include Ghazipur, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Pratapgarh, Kanpur, Hardoi, Bahraich, Bulandshahr, Amroha and Bijnor. Nearly 1.5 lakh fishes each will be released in Ganga in Varanasi and Ghazipur districts.

River ranching would help in achieving sustainable fisheries, reducing habitat degradation, conserving biodiversity, maximising social-economic benefits and would also remove factors causing pollution, officials said.

Principal secretary, Namami Gange, Anurag Srivastava, said that the practice of river ranching was a part of the efforts being made by the state government for cleanliness of the Ganga and conservation of groundwater.

NS Rahmani, deputy director of department of fisheries, said that the ‘river ranching’ was also used to control pollution and improve marine life in the river.

“In this activity, different species of fish are released in the river, which destroy factors that increase the level of nitrogen. These fishes will also aid in maintaining the cleanliness of the river as they feed on organic remnants. Due to overfishing and pollution in the Ganges, these fishes are also decreasing for the last 20 years,” he said.

According to Rahmani, about 1500kg of fishes present in an area of about 4000 square meters control about 1mg per litre of nitrogen waste. Therefore, the government has decided to release nearly 15 lakh fishes into the Ganges to control excess nitrogen in the river.

“If nitrogen exceeds 100 mg per liter or more, it becomes highly detrimental to the fish diversity of the river. Consequently, the fishes cannot reproduce and lay eggs, which leads to their extinction. Through this practice, the released fishes will be made to grow and proliferate for restoration of the fish stock, which will not only protect the aquatic organisms but will also reduce the pollution. By the end of September, fishes such as Rohu, Catla and Mrigal will be released into the Ganges,” said Rahmani.