Bithoor’s Ganga Rakshaks Struggle to Clean India’s Holiest River

Along the banks of the Ganga in Bithoor in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur, Laal Muhammad, also known as Badshah, greets everyone with “Jai Ganga Mata Ki (Hail Mother Ganga),” while he walks on the ghats barefoot. His feet are calloused from years of walking the river shores, but he has pledged not to wear slippers until the river is clean. For him, the Ganga is more than a river—it’s a mother, the one he has vowed to heal.

Ganga, India's sacred lifeline, weeps under a shroud of pollution. Its once-pristine waters are now choked with industrial waste, sewage, and plastic. Factories and cities along its banks spew toxins, while rituals and neglect add to the river's burden. Despite its spiritual reverence, the Ganga's plight reflects a clash between tradition and modern negligence. Efforts to revive its flow continue, but the river’s voice is growing faint, still waiting for renewal.

Badshah is from Unnao and later shifted to Bithoor after marrying off his sisters. His family’s financial condition prevented him from completing higher education. Now, he lives in a hut near the river and ferries passengers on a small wooden boat to earn a living. The 40-year-old volunteers with the Swayam Sevi Ganga Surakhsha Dal, a group dedicated to cleaning the river. Badshah himself didn’t marry and lives alone in Bithoor, spending most of his time with his colleagues—the ‘Ganga Rakshaks’ (Saviors of the Ganges)—at the ghats. 

He still offers five times of Namaz and keeps his fast in the holy month of Ramadan. “One mother gave me birth; the other (Ganga) is nurturing me,” he says.

His colleague, Uday Narayan Tiwari (50), also known as Bachcha Tiwari, has been involved in the cleaning of the river for the last 30 years. “When we started, we were only five members. Since then, more people have joined the team. It is all about voluntary service. We receive no funding or salary,” he says. 

Bithoor is historically known as "Baavan Ghaaton ki Nagari" (City of 52 Ghats). But, due to the Revolt of 1857, industrialisation, and other developments, only 29 ghats survived. Under the Namami Gange Programme—the central government’s flagship clean Ganga mission—13 ghats in Bithoor, including Brahmavart Ghat, Bhairav Ghat, and Rani Lakshmi Bai Ghat, have been renovated. 

“Seven drains discharge sewage directly into the Ganga in Bithoor. We have been betrayed by our local netas (leaders) and adhikaris (bureaucrats). Corruption is deeply rooted here. Still, I’m hopeful that PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath will do something for our city, for our river,” says Tiwari. 

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), under the Namami Gange Programme, has initiated projects to address the river’s cleanliness, with work on treating these drains through constructed wetland technology. One sewage treatment plant (STP) with a capacity of 2 million litres per day (MLD) is being constructed. This is part of efforts to manage the town's sewage of about 1.3 MLD per day. 

A 2020 report by the Oversight Committee on water quality, submitted to the National Green Tribunal, notes that the Ganga’s water quality deteriorates significantly after Kannauj, with Bithoor being part of this critical stretch. From Bithoor in Kanpur to Prayagraj, the water quality of the Ganga remained in category D, as per the report.

Funds Fail to Fix Ganga

In May 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, elected from Varanasi, stood on the Ganga’s banks and promised, “It’s my destiny to serve Maa Ganga.” That year, the Namami Gange Programme was launched with Rs. 20,000 crore to clean the 2,525-kilometer river by 2020, supporting 400 million people across Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. The United Nations had listed it among the top 10 global restoration projects in 2022. 

Eleven years later, with spending over Rs. 40,000 crore, Badshah sees little change. “The government’s money isn’t reaching the ground, it seems,” he says, leading his team of Ganga Rakshaks to pick up trash and raise awareness. 

The Modi government claims that a comprehensive set of interventions for pollution abatement measures to tackle different sources of pollution, such as municipal sewage, industrial effluent, municipal solid waste, and interventions for improving ecological flows, biodiversity conservation, afforestation, improving amenities and sanitation at riverbanks, capacity building, research and monitoring, and public awareness, have been taken up for the rejuvenation of the river Ganga and its tributaries. However, things are different on ground zero. 

As of March this year, 492 projects have been initiated, with the completion of only 307 projects. Only 127 of 206 sewage infrastructure projects have been completed. Additionally, only 39 of 56 biodiversity and afforestation projects have been completed. Recent initiatives include the Varanasi Sewerage Project and a project in Bhadohi to treat sewage entering the Varuna River. 

In Varanasi, the rivers Varuna and Asi have been polluted beyond recognition. They flow not as rivers but as torrents of sewage and wastewater. Both rivers join the Ganga on the north and south borders of the city. The name Varanasi was derived from a tract of land lying between the confluence of the rivers Varuna and Asi. President of the Sankat Mochan Foundation—an NGO whose vision is to ensure a clean Ganga—V.N. Mishra argues that Ganga’s condition will improve only when Varuna and Asi are cleaned.

“Where did all the money go? The Ganga still runs dirty,” asks Tiwari, his team’s manual cleanups a stark contrast to the delayed Namami Gange projects.

Ganga’s Fading Flow

Badshah’s mission is tied to the Ganga’s fading flow. Environmentalists criticise Namami Gange for prioritising sewage treatment over ecological health. Projects like the Char Dham road and inland waterways dredging disrupt the river’s flow and biodiversity, undermining cleaning efforts. The program’s failure to address groundwater recharge and industrial zero-liquid discharge comprehensively has left critical pollution sources unchecked.

With extreme reduction in water flow, especially in dry seasons, the flow of the Ganga has seriously decreased. The river’s flow, especially between Rishikesh and Prayagraj, almost halts during winters and summers. In other words, the river’s flow stops, but wastewater keeps flowing. Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers, and People (SANDRP), says that the government has not done anything to improve the quantum of flow in the Ganga River or its status either. 

Climate change expert and visiting professor at the TERI School of Advanced Studies, Prof. (Dr.) S.N. Mishra says,

“The retreat of Gangotri and other glaciers due to rising temperatures and erratic snowfall is already impacting the Ganga’s flow. While increased meltwater may temporarily boost the river’s volume, the long-term decline poses a severe threat. A clean and uninterrupted (aviral) Ganga is essential for sustaining life along its banks.”

“Cleaning of all tributaries, especially the Yamuna, must also be prioritised, as their health directly impacts the Ganga. I hope the government ensures comprehensive and proactive river management, especially in the climate change era, so that our sacred rivers continue to sustain and bless us with prosperity,” he elaborated. 

Holy Dip, Hidden Hazard

The recent Maha Kumbh Mela, which drew over 660 million pilgrims to Prayagraj’s Triveni Sangam, left the volunteers in Bithoor disheartened. “The crowds came with faith, but the water stayed dirty,” says Badshah, reflecting on reports of pollution during the event. 

Supragya Singh (25) from Gorakhpur paints a grim picture. “The water was polluted with coconut shells and clothes during my dip on February 15,” she says. “Only VIPs had proper facilities.” 

For 23-year-old Lucky Devi from Assam’s Dibrugarh, who went to attend the Kumbh Mela, the cost was personal. “We drank tap water—likely from the river—and fell ill on the train back,” she recounts, a warning echoed by Prof. (Dr.) Anita Ramesh of Apollo Hospitals: “Polluted water can cause typhoid, cholera, and skin infections.”

Dr. Sanjay Rai, professor at the Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS Delhi, and the principal investigator of the Kumbh Mela health assessment project, highlighted the unique self-cleaning properties of the Ganga and said that not all coliform bacteria are harmful. He explained that Ganga water retains high oxygen levels and undergoes natural bacterial processes that aid in purification. 

“Despite concerns about contamination, no significant health outbreaks, such as diarrhea or epidemics, have been reported during the Kumbh Mela. My team of 15 doctors, who monitored the event for over 40 days, found no spike in acute illnesses. While infections like typhoid remain a possibility due to their incubation period, any related health issues would show up quickly, and no major health crisis has occurred so far,” he added. 

In February, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) submitted a report to the NGT indicating that the Ganga's water quality during the Maha Kumbh did not meet primary bathing standards due to elevated fecal coliform levels. The report highlighted that on several monitoring occasions, fecal coliform concentrations exceeded permissible limits, attributing this rise to the massive influx of pilgrims bathing in the river during the festival. 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath promptly refuted the CPCB's findings, asserting that the water at the Triveni Sangam was not only suitable for bathing but also for ritual consumption (Aachman). He emphasised that all drains around the Sangam had been sealed and that water was being released only after proper purification. Continuous monitoring by the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) reportedly showed favourable parameters, with Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels below 3 mg/L and Dissolved Oxygen levels between 8 and 9 mg/L.

A revised CPCB report agreed with the CM’s version while contradicting its earlier findings. The CPCB attributed the discrepancies between the two reports to "variability in data," noting that factors such as upstream human activities, flow rate, sampling depth, collection time, river currents, and mixing patterns could significantly influence water quality measurements. 

However, on February 19, the NGT criticized the UPPCB for providing insufficient information regarding elevated fecal coliform bacteria levels in the Ganga during the Maha Kumbh Mela. The NGT highlighted that UPPCB's reports lacked comprehensive data on water quality and the measures taken to address pollution. The Bench asked what sort of report they had filed, with no information on fecal coliform found in its 250 pages. 

The Kumbh brought the pollution debate to the doorstep of these ‘Ganga Rakshaks.’ The discharge of untreated sewage directly into the river in Bithoor contributes to high fecal coliform levels and critically lowers dissolved oxygen levels, which threaten aquatic life and public health. 

“We not only focus on cleaning the Ganga but also put efforts into saving the aquatic life here. We don’t allow fishing here. This is why we have also been targeted in the past by local thugs. Earlier, the operation of steamers and other motorised vessels on the river took place. After our complaints, it stopped for a while but has resumed again. These could have detrimental effects on fish and aquatic life,” Tiwari elaborated. 

Hope Flows Through the Ganga

PM Modi’s 2014 promise to clean the river by 2019, later extended to 2020 and now 2026, was a cornerstone of his Varanasi campaign. Critics, including opposition leaders and activists, accuse the government of using Namami Gange as a populist tool while failing to deliver. 

Practices like open defecation, cremations, and religious offerings contribute to pollution, yet changing these behaviors is challenging. Rural sanitation projects, a key entry-level activity, have lagged due to insufficient community engagement.

Badshah sees Modi’s promise falter not for lack of funds but for want of execution, accountability, and a holistic vision. He stands vigilant, his barefoot pledge a symbol of faith. “I’ll wait to see Maa Ganga pure again,” he says, binding the river’s past, present, and future in his unwavering hope.

As the Ganga continues to flow, carrying both the prayers of millions and the burden of pollution, the unspent crores and unfinished projects stand as stark reminders of a dream deferred. PM Modi’s “destiny” to serve and clean “Maa Ganga” remains unfulfilled. The mighty river waits, patient yet sullied, for a revival that matches its sacred stature.

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