Photo Credit: Anand Kashi by the Ganges property which is part of the IHCL SeleQtions brand. IHCL Select a question above or ask something else Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) reported its highest-ever full-year performance in fiscal 2025 driven by solid domestic travel demand and limited additions to hotel supply were the key demand drivers this year,” IHCL CEO Puneet Chhatwal said at an earnings call on Monday.  Those factors helped room-night sales grow 6% industry-wide even as new room supply expanded by less than 3% year-on-year allowing hotels in the country to fill more beds at higher rates IHCL re-affirmed its “Accelerate 2030” vision to operate 700 properties by the decade’s end The company had 74 new signings and opened 26 hotels last year from luxury flagships under the Taj banner to mid-market stays with Ginger and Vivanta Chhatwal said the company plans to invest over INR 12 billion (approximately $142 million) in fiscal 2026 and investments focused on the Taj brand and digital infrastructure While domestic tourism has been strong, India has struggled to lift inbound tourism, an issue that Skift and Skift Research have documented IHCL is placing more emphasis on attracting international travelers Referencing projections of 28 million foreign arrivals by 2030 — a nearly 40% increase over pre-pandemic levels—Chhatwal noted the potential for growth in inbound tourism The company has allocated INR 250 million ($3 million) over three years to promote India abroad IHCL is also offering more flexible booking policies and inclusive pricing to encourage travel agents to increase inbound bookings One insight that has resonated through 10 straight quarters: booking windows are shrinking Indian travelers are planning getaways as little as 12–24 hours in advance self-driven road trips have driven this “last-minute” phenomenon and IHCL expects this to persist as Indians travel more than ever before IHCL’s “new and reimagined” ventures are scaling fast the company’s grab-and-go food concept spun off from Ginger  In addition to serving the F&B brand for Ginger Hotels Qmin has also established a presence in retail through its partnership with WestSide stores in Mumbai and Bengaluru in a shop-in-shop format Kolkata and Bengaluru Airports in partnership with TFS IHCL’s loyalty program Tata Neu surpassed 10 million members in fiscal 2025 bookings made via direct channels jumped 43% to over INR 22 billion ($261 million) highlighting the growing appeal of an integrated What am I looking at? The performance of hotels and short-term rental sector stocks within the ST200 The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets including international and regional hotel brands The Skift Travel 200 (ST200) combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. See more hotels and short-term rental financial sector performance. Read the full methodology behind the Skift Travel 200. Tags: asia monthly, earnings, india, indian hotels company Subscribe today to keep up with the latest travel industry news Already a subscriber? Login Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) reported its highest-ever annual performance in fiscal 2025 The company is actively pursuing growth in inbound tourism investing in both its Taj brand and digital infrastructure IHCL experienced a surge in direct bookings and loyalty program participation with notable shifts toward last-minute travel among Indian consumers New users get20% offtheir first year of Skift Pro Nearly blind and adapted solely to freshwater this unique dolphin is born a deep chocolate brown making it a fascinating yet vulnerable resident of these waters Dependent on thriving fish populations and clean the dolphin’s survival is a measure of the health of the rivers that sustain millions facing an uncertain future across its range it is now listed as endangered globally by the IUCN Red List Stretching across 13,500 kilometers (about 8388.51 mi) and eight countries the dolphin’s habitat has seen a staggering decline of nearly 20% since the 1800s In a recent survey by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)through 1,905 kilometers (about 1183.71 mi) over 30 days documenting 636 groups of these dolphins and establishing a baseline population of around 1,352 dolphins For conservationists and local communities this number serves as both a benchmark and a rallying call—a reminder of what could be lost without immediate action The fate of the Ganges River Dolphin is closely tied to the future of the rivers themselves Protecting this species is about more than just preserving an endangered animal; it’s about ensuring the health of entire ecosystems and the livelihoods of those who depend on them In a recent survey by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) nearly 300 fishers described dolphins as their “friends in the river.” Not only are these fishers aware of the threats facing the Ganges River Dolphin but many are also prepared to act in times of distress Over half (56%) recognize the specific threats to the dolphins and an impressive 93% know what steps to take if they find a dolphin in trouble—demonstrating their readiness to serve as first responders for dolphin conservation such as the Sustainable Forests & Livelihoods (SUFAL) project have taken these efforts further by establishing eight dolphin response teams each comprising one forest officer and nine community members These teams are dedicated to helping release entangled dolphins and report any dolphin deaths observed in their areas about 30% of fishers expressed concern for the dolphin’s future fearing that unless issues like gillnet entanglement and reduced freshwater flow are urgently addressed dolphins may soon disappear from these rivers altogether Ganges River Dolphin Coordination and Management Platform established the Ganges River Dolphin Platform to strengthen conservation efforts for the Ganges River Dolphin The platform aims to improve coordination and risk management across World Bank-financed projects in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) river basin By placing dolphin conservation at the heart of development initiatives the platform seeks to ensure that future investments are dolphin-friendly It will serve as a dynamic hub for sharing best practices while providing a roadmap and action plans that could revolutionize dolphin conservation across the region The platform will not only guide the implementation of dolphin-friendly solutions but also create lasting partnerships and strengthen the capacity of local communities to protect their aquatic ecosystems In a significant step forward for conservation standardized protocols for population surveys and cumulative impact assessments of the Ganges River Dolphin have been developed through collaboration between the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Southern Waters which define the dolphin as a Valued Ecosystem Component were further refined with valuable input from stakeholders during the First International Conference on Ganges River Dolphins These refined protocols will now be rolled out across various World Bank projects within the GBM river basin ensuring consistent and effective conservation practices The protocols are designed to provide a comprehensive framework for assessing dolphin populations and evaluating potential risks ensuring that all efforts are aligned with the broader goals of ecosystem protection and sustainable development To facilitate the implementation of these protocols the platform has organized training sessions for respective Project Implementation Units (PIUs) of the governments and the World Bank project team leaders across the GBM region These sessions are designed to enhance local expertise and ensure the effective application of the new guidelines equipping stakeholders with the tools they need to track and protect the Ganges River Dolphin population The capacity-building efforts are an essential part of the platform's mission to create a long-term collaborative framework for dolphin conservation that can be adapted and scaled across the region Collaboration among the World Bank financed projects across the GBM Basin a holistic approach is need to manage risks along the GBM River Basin With nine World Bank-supported projects spanning the basin coordination and data sharing among these projects are critical 1.      Bihar Kosi Basin Development Project 2.      Assam inland Water Transport 3.      Assam Integrated River Basin Management Project 4.      Jamuna River Sustainable Management Project 1 5.      Dhaka Rivers Ecological Restoration Project 6.      Second National Ganga River Basin Project 7.      Assam Bengal Inland Water Transport Project 8.      West Bengal Inland Water Transport Project 9.      Bangladesh Regional Waterway Transport Project 1 These projects are designed to implement nature-positive solutions that include risk mitigation From regional strategies to country-level support and project-specific actions these efforts are aligned to safeguard the dolphin population The goal is to synchronize protocols and conservation initiatives across the projects ensuring a unified approach to protecting these iconic river dwellers for generations to come Dolphin Conservation events Boosts Awareness and Cooperation The First International Conference on Ganges River Dolphins Management and Conservation The event stressed the need for regional cooperation to protect the Ganges River Dolphin The World Bank organized a series of training in May to June 2024 on dolphin population assessment aiming to enhance efforts related to conservation and habitat restoration The Ganges River Dolphin Platform represents a pioneering effort to protect an endangered species while fostering sustainable development the platform brings together regional governments and development partners to champion dolphin-friendly investments in the GBM river basin and inspire dolphin-friendly solutions worldwide it will ensure that future generations witness the majestic leap of the Ganges River Dolphin in revitalized 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To learn more about cookies, click here Following the first full week on the Ganges Hill roadwork project the contractor has announced an extension of daily work hours issued a notice Tuesday advising that road work would begin at 7:30 a.m with single lane alternating traffic in effect between those times “We hope that these extended hours will allow us to get this work done more quickly while also keeping all road users content,” said project manager Bob Mitchell in the notice “Phase 1 is installing underground pipe on the southbound lane of Fulford-Ganges Road during daylight hours Monday to Friday,” he said in the notice “This work will continue until about February “We have been closely monitoring traffic volumes during the last few days as we get into Phase 1 and we have identified ways to make our work more efficient while also making sure traffic disruption is kept to a minimum,” he said Mitchell said the team is confident that traffic flow can be improved while also meeting stakeholders’ needs “We are familiar with school and mass transit bus schedules and routes and will prioritize this traffic.” “We welcome comment over the next few days and weeks on how this change may affect your operations,” he added Your copy of Tidings will arrive in your inbox every Wednesday Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Are you happy with the Saanich-Gulf Islands voters' choice of MP Metrics details A 9-km daily gridded streamflow dataset is generated using the Variable Infiltration Capacity-River Routing Model (VIC-RRM) across the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River basins over 1951–2023 forced by the ERA5-Land reanalysis data for naturalized streamflow Physically consistent streamflow forecast data is also generated forced by the ECMWF S2S forecasts The performance of the dataset is evaluated using observed streamflow data from three gauge stations in Bangladesh along the streams of Ganges calculating the modified Kling-Gupta Efficiency (mKGE) metric for the 365-day climatology the mKGE values of reconstructed streamflow data are 0.50 Comparing with the reconstructed streamflow data the streamflow forecasts show a good agreement with mKGE values of 1.00 This dataset provides physically consistent reconstructed and forecasted streamflow data at high resolution offering a valuable resource for the assessment of climate variability and change and the development of river basin-specific water management strategies in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Rivers in Bangladesh a significant challenge in conducting these assessments is the sparsity of streamflow records Many regions are lacking of sufficient gauge stations that provide continuous and extensive spatial/temporal coverages particularly in financially disadvantaged countries Limited available streamflow data often hinder accurate hydrologic predictions and proactive water resources management Domain for the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River basins and Bangladesh and Meghna (green line) where rivers flow into Bangladesh Blue lines denote river networks within the Ganges-Brahmaptura-Meghna River basins while red lines indicate the national boundary of Bangladesh and square are denote gauge stations (Hardinge Bridge Bangladesh has faced limited financial and human resources to build and maintain a national observational network system for hydrologic monitoring These stations are however at a critical location for data validation because they are located at the downstream of Brahmaputra River (BR) Meghna River (MR) and Ganges River (GR) from neighbor countries including Bhutan The observational records of daily streamflow at three gauge stations were provided by BWDB Spatiotemporally limited streamflow records hinder the assessment of long-term change in streamflow and available water resources which can provide actionable information for water policy makers and resource managers in Bangladesh To enhance the resiliency of Bangladesh to unprecedented floods in a changing climate it is essential to reconstruct long-term streamflow data that addresses spatial and temporal limitations in insufficient streamflow monitoring data Hydrological models considered physical process as topographic slope and river network These observational datasets were utilized to evaluate the performance of the simulated daily streamflow data from the VIC-RRM These hourly runoff datasets were converted to daily datasets to be used as forcing data in the VIC-RRM consistent with meteorological data from ERA5 emphasizes the evolution of land variables over several decades and offers an enhanced resolution of 9-km Users can register and visit the data portal to browse the contents of the available varaioables and download the data of interest through the ECMWF web API VIC-RRM is sufficient for this study to reconstruct long-term naturalized streamflow data because this model is physically consistent with precipitation and snow/glacier melt as a natural hydrological response VIC-RRM assumes water can exit a grid cell in one direction through at least one river among the eight adjacent grid cells adding this water to the downstream grid cells in the river network The model presumes the runoff transport process to be linear and time-invariant with a non-negative impulse response function (IRF) the IRF between any source and sink grid points depends only on the horizontal travel time of water within the source grid cell and to the downstream point The resolution of the DEM determines the spatial resolution of streamflow simulated by VIC-RRM used to generate the geographical information of the watershed in question The unit response to input data is maintained due to the preservation of the remapping scheme If the resolution of the DEM and the runoff data are the same the remapping scheme did not work and was ignored the routing process is repeated for each specified flow location within the VIC-RRM domain using the input runoff data and the IRFs developed for each grid cell This process integrates the IRFs to include all watersheds flowing into a grid cell After developing the IRFs for the high-resolution river network flow synthesis involves aggregating the flow contributions from all upstream grid cells at each time step This synthesis method of VIC-RRM accounts for the fact that only a portion of each grid cell’s flow reaches the downstream point at each time step the outflow reaching the sea in future time steps is added the daily streamflow data calculated by the repeated routing process are generated as grid data with the same resolution as the DEM Schematic overview for the reconstructed and forecast daily streamflow in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River basins with the surface and sub-surface runoff data from the reanalysis data (ERA5-L) and forecast data (S2S) where r is the Pearson correlation coefficient between simulation (s) and observation (o), β is the bias ratio, γ is the variability ratio, μ is the mean streamflow, and σ is the standard deviation of streamflow. The interpretation of mKGE is easy since the value of mKGE is the lower limit of the three components (r, β, and γ in Eq. 4) The model performance is perfect when the value of mKGE is 1 which allows for an intuitive interpretation of the error magnitude between observed and simulated streamflow The RMSE value is zero if the model has no error We used the surface and sub-surface runoff daily forecast data in the S2S forecast from 2016 to 2023 at two-week intervals (14 days) as the input data for VIC-RRM to generate streamflow forecast data The performance of this forecasted streamflow data was evaluated by comparing it with the reconstructed streamflow data based on the ERA5-L because the generated streamflow datasets from ERA5-L and S2S using VIC-RRM are naturalized streamflow covering the land area of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River areas including China Grid streamflow datasets were generated daily and saved in netcdf files red line) streamflow over 1994–2023 at Bahadurabad The correlation coefficient (r) and RMSE between climatological observed and reconstructed streamflow are denoted on the top-right corner in each panel plot including the P-value for the difference of their means using the Student’s t-test Shaded areas in gray and pink colors indicate the ±1 σ (one standard deviation) range for OBS and ERA5-L The closer these three components are to 1 we can identify the dominant errors in the model’s performance The value of RMSE denotes the magnitude of errors between two different datasets Accumulated precipitation and simulated streamflow using VIC-RRM for the 1998 (q–t) Accumulated precipitation (mm) pattern over 3 starting from 8th July 1998; 10th July 2004 (u,x) Distribution of simulated streamflow (m3s−1) at 3-day intervals from starting dates in 1998 and 2022 using VIC-RRM forced by runoff datasets of ERA5-L Daily precipitation data obtained from the ERA5-L product as high-resolution DEM data is now globally available bias and variability errors may arise from uncertainty in the ERA5-Land runoff data and our streamflow data can provide an opportunity to reduce errors in streamflow through realistic parameterization of land surface models for the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River basin The hybrid model showed significant improvement of model performance at six lead months the development of parameter data related to the local human disturbance is required for the anthropogenic streamflow simulation of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Rivers which will provide a unique opportunity to study the impact of local human disturbance on the regional hydrologic system Predicted water resource data helps water managers operate water infrastructure more efficiently and prepare for the impacts of floods and droughts Using the forecasted runoff data as input for VIC-RRM we used the surface and sub-surface runoff forecast data from the S2S forecast product as input from 2016 to 2023 to get the streamflow forecast data Since the forecast data used in this study was generated at two-week intervals VIC-RRM required the initial conditions of streamflow every two weeks the regenerated streamflow data using the ERA5-L product was used for the initial state at two-week intervals Long-term averaged reconstructed (ERA5-L blue dashed line) streamflow over 2016–2023 at Bahadurabad Skyblue shading denotes the ensemble range for 50 ensemble members in the S2S forecast RMSE for long-term averaged runoff between ERA5-L and S2S forecast during 2016–2023 Ficklin, D. 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Water Resour Res 60, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR035618 (2024) Download references We also acknowledge the availability of observed daily streamflow data at Yangcun and Meghna rivers from the Global Runoff Data Centre (GRDC) and the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) of Bangladesh This study was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea (2021M3I6A1086808/RS-2021-NR057873) and RS-2023-00262044) and the Human Resource Program for Sustainable Environment in the 4th Industrial Revolution Society of the BK21 FOUR (Fostering Outstanding Universities for Research) funded by the Ministry of Education (MOE Division of Environmental Science and Engineering Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) Human Resource Program for Sustainable Environment in the 4th Industrial Revolution Society Department of Geography and Environmental Science provided observed daily streamflow data at Bahadurabad and Bhairab Bazar gauge stations in Bangladesh provided input on the interpretation of the results and helped shape the analysis and the manuscript The authors declare no competing interests Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05014-8 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Anthropocene newsletter — what matters in anthropocene research, free to your inbox weekly. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. More than 400 million Hindu pilgrims are expected to participate in the largest gathering in human history: India's Maha Kumbh Mela religious festival. DW follows one couple’s spiritual journey to wash away their sins in the Ganges River. "It was my dream to come to Kumbh Mela," Chandra said. "If not for Manju, we would not be here today. She planted this dream in my heart. 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Volume 5 - 2024 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2024.1341434 This article is part of the Research TopicImpacts of People's Engagement in Nature ConservationView all 8 articles are major contributors to global marine and freshwater plastic pollution GG can lead to the accidental entanglement of several threatened freshwater and marine species especially the air-breathing aquatic vertebrates There is a lack of know-how and mechanisms for collecting and recycling GG leading to their constant accumulation in aquatic ecosystems we have examined the mortalities of threatened aquatic species in fishing nets and have proposed an incentive-based standard operating procedure (SOP) for effective collection and disposal of GG based on field observations and extant national and international policies and made recommendations for a net buyback scheme as a possible downstream solution to reduce GG in the Ganga River Basin It is proposed that the collection of GG can be done by the local level institutions of fishing community through the fair-price shops The nets are then to be deposited at the block-level processing centres to be transported to the district-level consolidating centres Recycling partners identified by the Government of India will then collect the nets directly from district centres for further upcycling and recycling multi-stakeholder approach with strong upstream and downstream linkages backed with appropriate policy interventions is needed to tackle the ghost gear issue in the Ganga River basin Indian environmental and fisheries policies are non-responsive about the disposal of discarded fishing gears The objectives of the present study are to quantify the density and impacts of GGs and suggest impacts mitigation strategies to reduce the impact of GGs in Ganga River ecosystem This study is a part of the long-term project “Planning and management for aquatic species conservation and maintenance of ecosystem services in the Ganga River basin for a clean Ganga” funded by the Government of India and implemented by the Wildlife Institute of India The project has identified the volunteers from local communities that are trained in conservation related activities such as stakeholder mobilization biodiversity monitoring and ecological surveys The information used for the present analysis was collected through river and socio-economic surveys conducted along the Ganga River between April 2018 and October 2023 We conducted ecological and socio-economic surveys and supplemented them with a review of existing literature to identify critical gaps that require immediate intervention to address the issue of GG in the river Boat based continuous river surveys (n= 6) for ecological studies were conducted along the Ganga River using inflatable boats During the river surveys the fishing gears (both active and GG) encountered in the river and their type and material was recorded at every 5 kms Incidents of species entangled in the GG were also recorded Frequency of encountering both fishing gears and species entangled was calculated As high concentrations of fishing gears and their impacts on biota in the Ganga River was observed the information was supplemented with the questionnaire-based survey focus group discussions and personal observations focal group discussions with fishers (n=10) We compiled detailed information on the types of fishnets used and their impacts on aquatic species through field survey and secondary information such as government reports and databases We surveyed grassroots administrative units viz. Block and Gram Panchayat (village councils) offices (n=20) for information on activities and facilities available to handle the GG focus group discussions and discussion with officials from government and non-government organizations Species and number of individuals rescued from fishing nets during 2021–2023 Correlation between presence of trained community volunteers and cases of entanglement reported from the Ganga River About 25% of the respondents from fishing community (n=150) were aware of the impacts of GG on aquatic biodiversity Fishermen (80%) also reported that one fishing net is used for about two years although during heavy floods the nets are often lost the average life span of a fishing net is generally less than 2 years All the respondents confirmed that they previously (by respondents or by their elders in the past) used fishing net made of natural fibres (known as pehra in some parts of Uttar Pradesh) they have now switched to gears made of synthetic material due to their affordability and availability They buy the fishing nets from the government subsidized depots and market Minimum mesh size used is 0.5 inches that costs approximately US$8 per kg About 40% of the respondents reported that they have witnessed aquatic species entangled in the GG Low education level was the limiting factor regarding the awareness and access to information on GG and their impacts on environment and fishing as a livelihood All the block level and panchayat offices (n=20) in Uttar Pradesh lacked the facilities and mechanisms to collect store and recycle the GG found in their respective areas and review of government records and reports revealed that there is lack of mechanisms and standard protocols for managing the GGs A buyback model is proposed to encourage fishers to bring the old nets to a collection centre (Figure 3) Following are the steps for an effective implementation of buyback model in a mixed economy: A detailed description of the proposed fishing net buy back model for the Ganga River System Considering the extensive network and reach of Government-owned Fair Price Shops (FPS) FPS may be used as local/village level collection centres where the fishers can drop off their old/damaged fishing nets for a price The fishing nets from the FPS will be collected by the members of the Self Help Groups (SHGs) SHGs comprising of female members of the fisher households and/or belonging to Fisheries Cooperative Societies (FCS) may be involved in the collection of old/damaged or discarded fishing nets These SHGs will collect the nets directly from the fishers or FPS The fishers will be paid a price for their nets and the operators of the FPS will be reimbursed the amount they paid for the fishing nets collected by them The fishing nets will be collected by the SHGs regularly and taken to the block level processing centres for sorting and cleaning Nets will be sorted and stored based on the type of polymer and the quality of the nets received The centre may be set up in coordination with the block administration A district level consolidating centre may be established in the district headquarters to collect fishing nets from all the block fishing net processing centres in the concerned district Trained individuals from the FCS or fishing community may be engaged for sorting linkages between the district administration and SHGs/FCS must be strengthened for the smooth functioning of the initiative through open channels of communication Site-specific prices may be set for the fishing nets damaged and/or discarded fishing nets and fishing nets damaged during rescue of aquatic fauna The pricing policy and relative income shares at the level of the community may be determined in consultation with the communities themselves Considerations while setting the price may also include supply of old damaged and/or discarded fishing nets and fluctuation in market prices The subsidies on the fishing nets will be granted based on the time of usage the higher the subsidy on the purchase of a new net a tracking system may be introduced such as biometry enabled magnetic cards that record every purchase of fishing net similar to the documentation provided by the ration card A revolving fund may be created for the SHGs to enable them to purchase the old with initial seed money provided by the Government The revolving fund will also provide simple savings and loan facilities and the accumulated profits may be distributed back to the members Formal records of every fishing net collected along with the name and other details of the fisherman may be maintained digitally and in hard copy by the SHGs every individual depositing a fishing net to the SHGs must be paid promptly records from the SHG may also be shared with the district consolidating centre Every SHG depositing the fishing nets must be paid promptly cleaned and baled fishing nets may be recycled through collaborations with national and international organisations working on recycling old wherein the plastic wastes are processed into secondary raw materials or products without significantly changing its chemical structure Chemical recycling entails that the plastic is broken down and regenerated into new virgin-like plastic enabling recycling or even upcycling Potential national partners that have existing infrastructure for chemical recycling may be identified the nets may be exported to responsible global markets New opportunities to establish responsible chemical recycling in India may be explored and developed Steps may be undertaken to formalise the fishing gear sector Fishing gear vendors may be mandated to document and record the sale of fishing nets and other gear Details to be recorded may include the type the name of the buyer and the date of purchase This will enable the Government to upgrade the buyback scheme in the future wherein payments may be linked to the age of the fishing net to incentivise fishers to use the net for a longer period of time It is suggested that capacities of local people and institutions such as village councils should be developed to conduct regular monitoring of the river for reporting the GG in their vicinity Timely reporting can minimize the negative impacts such as entanglement of species Along the Ganga River several indigenous communities such as the Santhals and the Nishads used traditional low cost and biodegradable fishing gears Although they have now shifted to modern gears the traditional knowledge and gears should be revived and promoted Local groups can be identified and their capacities should be developed to make the biodegradable traditional gears The progress of the scheme may be evaluated at the monthly meetings with properly documented proceedings This will enable effective implementation and monitoring of the progress of the fishing net buyback scheme and also of the Plastic Waste Management Rules along with other interventions by the Government to combat plastic pollution or aid aquatic biodiversity conservation In areas where buy back initiatives for old damaged and/or discarded fishing gear are already underway linkages may be established and/or strengthened with the implementing organisation Efforts may be made to engage entrepreneurs and organisations by conducting workshops where they can learn about the scheme and expand the network Despite the several reports of threats to aquatic species due to discarded fishing gear the issue has not been addressed through policy efforts should be made at all levels to encourage and incentivise fishers to use traditional fishing practices and the use of organic indigenous gear should be promoted through appropriate policy mechanisms These mechanisms should be in line with the needs and preferences of the fisher communities Cost of fishing gears also plays an important role in determining the usage pattern As the traditional fishing gear with bigger mesh size is costlier it is suggested that strategies should be introduced to lower the price of sustainable fishing gears Incentives can be introduced to promote the natural fibre based fishing gears Our results indicate that entanglement cases are recorded more in the areas with presence of active volunteers from communities It is suggested that if more people are sensitized and trained at sensitive areas which may help in developing an informed strategy to handle the GG in the area As it is not possible to completely replace the monofilament fishing gear should be in place to minimize the presence of GG in the fresh and marine ecosystem who may ensure capacity building of the FCS SHGs and fishing community in the following areas: (a) aquatic biodiversity and conservation issues; (b) provisions of the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972; and (c) rescue and rehabilitation of aquatic species in distress The concerned members of the FCS and SHGs must be trained in day-to-day management of the SHGs and fishing net collection cleaning nets and identification of nets for sorting Relevant research institutions and non-governmental organisations may be engaged for the same Awareness about the scheme and the impact of GG on aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity may be generated through the engagement of volunteers from the local community bill boards and wall paintings may be placed at strategic locations to create mass awareness United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs started the Global Ghost Gear Initiative in 2014 with the objectives of increasing awareness, investing in technologies, preventing equipment loss through responsible practices, and retrieval and proper disposal of GG. In 2018, the FAO Committee on Fisheries adopted Voluntary Guidelines for the Marking of Fishing Gear to fill the gap and provide support to assess, monitor and manage ghost gear-related issues (FAO, 2024) New global instruments such as the agreement made by governments during the Fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi where they agreed to adopt legally-binding provisions and obligations to prevent and remediate plastic pollution and its toxic impacts are addressing the issue of plastic waste using a human rights-based approach due to the threats to human Policies and laws are generally prohibitive in nature though the statistics on plastic pollution due to fishing gear makes it evident that this does not translate into grassroots level reality As per the OECD (2023) report stringent and co-ordinated policy action could cut plastic waste generation in 2040 by a quarter below baseline and virtually eliminate mismanaged waste by 2040 (from 119 Mt to 4 Mt).” This would result in plastic leakage being nearly eliminated governments need to adopt appropriate waste management practices with improved waste collection and recycling guidelines directed at reducing the leakage of plastics representatives from 175 countries convened in Nairobi to work on potential diplomatic solutions to the global plastic pollution crisis The draft zero of their discussion includes concerns about microplastics and ghost gear There are high hopes for big moves globally aimed at combating the ghost gear problem through field action and diplomatic policy changes The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors Permission for conducting the study was granted by the Chief Wildlife Wardens of Uttar Pradesh The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research This research was conducted as part of the projects “Biodiversity Conservation and Ganga Rejuvenation” and “Planning & Management for Aquatic Species Conservation an d Maintenance of Ecosystem Services in the Ganga River Basin” which received funding (No B -02/201 5 -16/1259/NMCG -WI I Proposal and No B -03/2015-16/1077/NMCG -New Proposal) from the National Mission for Clean Gang a (NMCG) We would like to thank the Chief Wildlife Warden of Government of Madhya Pradesh Jharkhand and West Bengal for providing and facilitating timely research permits to conduct the study We acknowledge the help guidance and support provided by the Director and Dean at the Wildlife Institute of India in carrying out this study We acknowledge the Frontiers journal team for their support at every step and also the important role played by the reviewers in improving our manuscripts with their constructive intellectual remarks The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2024.1341434/full#supplementary-material A novel facet of the impact of plastic pollution on fish: Silver croaker (Plagioscion squamosissimus) suffocated by a plastic bag in the Amazon estuary Azevedo-Santos V Plastic pollution: A focus on freshwater biodiversity Azevedo-Santos V Digital media reveal negative impacts of ghost nets on Brazilian marine biodiversity General macro-litter as a proxy for fishing lines hooks and nets entrapping beach-nesting birds: Implications for clean-ups “Perspectives on marine plastics,” in Plastic Pollution and Marine Conservation (London Google Scholar Census of India (2011) Google Scholar Livelihood status and socio-economic condition of fishers of river Ganga Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar FAO (2024). 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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Srishti Badola, c3Jpc2h0aWJhZG9sYTAwM0BnbWFpbC5jb20= Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher. 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish. Pollution concerns rise as millions take ritual dips in the Ganges I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice India’s environmental authorities have raised concerns over dangerously high levels of faecal bacteria in the Ganges river at Prayagraj particularly during the Maha Kumbh Mela – a major religious gathering that attracts millions of people for ritual bathing A recent report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) a statutory organisation under India’s Ministry of Environment found that the river’s water quality did not meet safe bathing standards especially on key ritual days when large crowds entered the water While sewage treatment plants were functioning, the sheer number of people using the river led to a sharp rise in contamination The Maha Kumbh Mela is one of Hinduism’s holiest festivals, held once every 12 years at Prayagraj in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh where the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers meet The confluence of the rivers is called Sangam and a “holy dip” in the waters is regarded as one of the festival’s main rituals a report by the CPCB showed that faecal coliform bacteria levels in the river exceed the safe limit of 2,500 units per 100 millilitres posing a serious health risk to those entering the water As per the latest recorded data on 4 February faecal coliform levels in the Ganges surged after a major bathing event at the Maha Kumbh Mela reaching 11,000 units per 100 millilitres near Shastri Bridge and 7,900 units per 100 millilitres at Sangam – far above the safe limit of 2,500 units per 100 millilitres Faecal coliform bacteria are naturally present in the intestines of humans and warm-blooded animals Their presence in water is a warning sign of possible contamination as they indicate that the water may contain harmful pathogens such as viruses and other disease-causing bacteria originating from human or animal waste Water quality assessments frequently test for faecal coliform bacteria to determine whether the water is safe for drinking The CPCB report which analysed Ganges water said: “The river water quality was not conforming to the primary water quality for bathing with respect to faecal coliform (FC) at all the monitored locations on various occasions.” It added: “A large number of people bathe in the river at Prayagraj during the Mahakumbh Mela which eventually leads to an increase in faecal concentration.” Recent reports indicate that faecal coliform levels in the Ganga River are far beyond the safe limit of 2,500 MPN/100ml (Most Probable Number per 100 millilitres) making the water hazardous for those who come into contact with it With millions of people gathering in Prayagraj for religious rituals the risk of waterborne diseases has risen sharply The situation is worsened by the discharge of untreated sewage from nearby areas Exposure to this polluted water can cause gastrointestinal infections and more serious illnesses like typhoid and hepatitis A Inhaling water droplets containing bacteria can also lead to respiratory infections particularly in vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly Beyond the immediate health risks for pilgrims this contamination threatens local communities that depend on the river for drinking Long-term exposure to faecal bacteria in the water has also been linked to an increased risk of infections and even certain cancers a US-based programme working on promoting the use of safe drinking water bathing in waters with high levels of faecal coliform bacteria “increases the chance of developing illness (fever or stomach cramps) from pathogens entering the body through the mouth On Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, however, dismissed the report that stated that water at multiple locations during the Maha Kumbh Mela contained faecal bacteria levels exceeding the safe limit for bathing. He claimed that the water at the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati, was “fit for drinking”, according to NDTV. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies After half an hour taking a boat trip on the Ganges River I witnessed the deep spiritual significance of the river for Indians the diverse cultures and traditions that have flourished on its banks Now to help me and our listeners know more first tell us the reasons why so many people Varanasi is different because the city belongs to Shiva Shiva is the main god of Hinduism and Varanasi has belonged to Shiva for more than 3,000 years There are many reasons to come to Varanasi as a Hindu or as a tourist There are so many things to know about the religion – Shiva Temple Bao Tram: What’s the most interesting thing about Varanasi Bittu: The most interesting thing is that in Varanasi on one side is life and on the other side is death – cremation and at the same time you can see the boat life there they’ll definitely find it in Varanasi because Hinduism says that after cremation comes reincarnation.  Bao Tram: What do people do during the day and in the evening along the Ganges River Bittu: People come to the river all day for spiritual reasons – rituals and things like that Morning is very important because of the Sun Sunrise is a very important time for Hindus Local people and pilgrims from all over India and from all over the world come here and at sunrise – or 10 or 15 minutes before sunrise – they take a deep plunge in the river they offer the river water to the rising Sun and pray for life and for forgiveness of their sins People promise God and the Ganges River that they will purify themselves and start a new life and never hurt anyone again People come to Varanasi to purify themselves and promise the Ganges and the Ganga goddess that they won’t hurt others anymore People repent in life and that's why they come here – to purify their body we perform a special ceremony called aarti which means to thank the God and Goddess for the day Bao Tram: What has the government done to preserve religious practices and at the same time protect the river environment They have a lot of equipment and a lot of boats to collect garbage Hindus like to throw flowers into the river because flowers are a suitable gift for God there are a lot of those things in the river The government has people to collect garbage from the river and clean the banks Lately the water level has been going down The government has a department to clean the banks The banks are very clean then and you can walk Cleanliness is very important to the government The government keeps urging people to clean their cities There are departments to clean public areas Bao Tram: Do you think that the tradition of releasing flowers into the water as a gift to God is not good for the Ganges River The government doesn’t really want flowers in the Ganges But lately people are becoming aware of the problem and what the government is saying and they’re starting to follow the government’s advice We can’t speak harshly to them or rough them up because it would create bad karma we just tell them softly and gently “please keep our city clean for helping us understand the Ganges River’s importance to Indian people.  Every print subscription comes with full digital access A previously unknown earthquake about 2,500 years ago changed the course of the Ganges River near where it meets the sea By Sid Perkins India’s Ganges River shifted abruptly due to a distant yet massive earthquake around 2,500 years ago Such changes have been observed in other rivers in recent times but only far upstream This ancient Ganges shift occurred in the delta about 200 kilometers from where the river empties into the Bay of Bengal Flooding from similar shifts of other rivers today could threaten hundreds of millions of people who live in the modern cities built on river deltas worldwide We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday By subscribing, you agree to our Terms & Privacy Policy.  You must be 13 or older to sign up For full digital access, consider a $2.99 per month subscription As rivers chew their way across the landscape, they naturally wander — especially in their relatively flat deltas where sediments can pile up and divert the river one way or another (SN: 4/1/14) Course changes can unfold gradually over time spans ranging from years to centuries a geophysicist at Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands But channel-jumping triggered by an earthquake can occur in weeks or days the old waterway can gradually fill in with sediment evidence of the old channel typically remains While looking at satellite images of the Ganges Delta she and her colleagues spotted a slight depression that formed a crescent shape about 45 kilometers from the current Ganges That depression measured up to nearly 2 kilometers wide and stretched for dozens of kilometers that had probably been a main channel of the Ganges the team decided to check out the depression in person the researchers stumbled upon an open pit; someone had excavated the dirt for a pond they planned to fill in with water the very next day largely vertical bands of light-colored sand embedded within the darker horizontal layers of mud — a type of deposit known as seismites the frozen-in-time remnants of ancient sand volcanoes that formed when seismic waves from a distant earthquake pressurized a subterranean layer of watery sand That pressurized slurry bursts upward through overlying layers of silty mud Sometimes referred to as “sand blows,” these features are very difficult to explain but for an earthquake a sedimentologist at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville who was not involved in the new study Based on the width of the sand blows, the depth of the overlying sediments and the distance to the nearest major fault zone (more than 180 kilometers), the quake that formed the seismites probably ranged between magnitude 7 and magnitude 8 Chamberlain and her colleagues report June 17 in Nature Communications Analyses of sand grains in the seismites suggest that the temblor must have occurred about 2,500 years ago though there are no written records of this ancient quake Because the lowest-level — and thus the oldest — muds that accumulated in the channel were deposited at the same time the seismites formed the team linked the quake to the change in the river’s path Flooding from a river shift caused by a similar quake today could threaten up to 170 million people — a number equal to about half the population of the United States — who live in an Illinois-sized area of India and Bangladesh much of the infrastructure is built on mounds of sediments dredged from rivers and piled up to provide some elevation above the nearby floodplains which makes it exceptionally vulnerable if and when another round of shaking occurs Such a risk only adds to threats of flooded deltas that come with rising sea levels due to climate change (SN: 3/10/22) Shaw says: “How do you anticipate and prepare for events that you haven’t experienced?” Questions or comments on this article? E-mail us at feedback@sciencenews.org | Reprints FAQ A version of this article appears in the August 10, 2024 issue of Science News E.L. Chamberlain et al. Cascading hazards of a major Bengal basin earthquake and abrupt avulsion of the Ganges River flooding parts of Cincinnati in early April Extreme rainfall continued to fuel flooding in the Midwest throughout the month Marine ecologist Alyssa Gehman surveys sunflower sea stars in Burke Channel on the Central Coast of British Columbia These sea stars seem to be more resilient to a deadly wasting disease than their counterparts in warmer waters Axolotls are common pets and used in research Raindrops falling into narrow tubes might offer a clean source of electrical energy A quarterly research voyage to study the Pacific Ocean coincided with the Palisades and Eaton fires in the Los Angeles area Samples gathered during the January trip will help scientists understand the natural disaster’s effects on the ocean An analysis of minerals in the Watersmeet Gneiss (shown) suggest the metamorphic rock dates to about 3.6 billion years ago potentially making it the oldest known rock in the United States Below the peaceful surface of Chesapeake Bay tidal wetlands methane-producing and methane-consuming microbes are competing for food Higher temperatures may give the producers the edge A man walks across the dry bed of Lake Ahmad Sar in India in 2015 The total amount of water in Earth’s lakes rivers and soils has drastically dropped since the turn of the century The primary culprit: rising global temperatures Science News was founded in 1921 as an independent nonprofit source of accurate information on the latest news of science our mission remains the same: to empower people to evaluate the news and the world around them It is published by the Society for Science a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education (EIN 53-0196483) enter your e-mail address for full access to the Science News archives and digital editions Metrics details Earthquakes present severe hazards for people and economies and can be primary drivers of landscape change yet their impact to river-channel networks remains poorly known Here we show evidence for an abrupt earthquake-triggered avulsion of the Ganges River at ~2.5 ka leading to relocation of the mainstem channel belt in the Bengal delta This is recorded in freshly discovered sedimentary archives of an immense relict channel and a paleo-earthquake of sufficient magnitude to cause major liquefaction and generate large decimeter-scale sand dikes >180 km from the nearest seismogenic source region and breached and partially liquefied floodplain deposits support coeval timing of the avulsion and earthquake Evidence for reorganization of the river-channel network in the world’s largest delta broadens the risk posed by seismic events in the region and their recognition as geomorphic agents in this and other tectonically active lowlands The recurrence of comparable earthquake-triggered ground liquefaction and a channel avulsion would be catastrophic for any of the heavily populated large river basins and deltas along the Himalayan arc (e.g. The compounding effects of climate change and human impacts heighten and extend the vulnerability of many lowlands worldwide to such cascading hazards Among the largest and most heavily populated of these basins are the major rivers valleys and their coastal delta systems a The central Bengal basin is shaped by the Ganges River the Indo-Burman megathrust deformation front and foldbelt growth b Coring and luminescence sampling was executed across a vast underfilled paleochannel evident on the Ganges floodplain surface and at an adjacent dry pond with seismite features c The perimeter of the drained pond at the time of fieldwork The pond walls and floor revealed extensive sand dikes which were sampled for luminescence dating The background images for panels a and b show relative surface topography from NASA SRTM elevation data a Depiction of shallow lithostratigraphy, features, and location and results of OSL dating of sand dike features and intruded sediment. The OSL ages are stratigraphically consistent and constrain overbank deposition to ~2.6–2.5 ka, contemporaneous with the activity of the adjacent river channel (Fig. 2a) b Deep lithostratigraphy obtained from tube-well drilling shows a mud-confined sand at ~0–20 m elevation overlying Pleistocene-aged sands d ~20–40 cm-wide sand dikes bisect the floodplain cap exposed along the pond walls the main dikes yield a number of subordinate dikes (5–10 cm wide) that often conjoin one another to form a connected network of structures The margins of the sand-dike intrusions are sharply bound and quasi-linear with some angular edges and fractures. Brecciated mud clasts (1–15 cm) are regularly incorporated within the dike sands, but they are most common at bifurcation points of the subordinate dikes (Fig. S1c) where the clasts appear to disrupt flow of the fluidized sands This arrangement suggests that the subordinate dikes formed in succession after the main dikes and may reflect minutes of sustained ground-surface deformation during emplacement The large dikes reported here comprise unconsolidated Holocene sands that intruded actively aggrading overbank muds but to our knowledge there is no comparable record of vertical exposures like we present here and (e) mixing of the convolute sand layer (panel a) and crosscutting sand dike the mud pipe and its microfractures are both deformed upward in the direction of sand injection indicating that the mud pipes and sand dikes formed contemporaneously – or more specifically the mud pipes probably formed during the waning phase of dike emplacement The abundant formation of mud pipes also suggests that the earthquake occurred during the wet season when standing surface water and saturated soils make fine surface sediments subject to fluidization The red zones indicates the minimum magnitude values based on the range of potential distances to the two likely source areas (Shillong Massif at 200–300 km and the Indo-Burman subduction zone at 180–280 km) and widths (0.3–0.4 m) of the two primary dikes The pink zones indicate typical values for the observed ranges both size and distance relationships suggest that the ~2.5 ka earthquake was likely in the range of M 7.0–8.0 Such an event could originate as a M 7.0 splay-fault rupture in the Indo-Burman ranges 180+ km to the east or as a larger M 8.0 megathrust rupture produced at either the Shillong or Indo-Burman fronts Regardless of the earthquake’s specific source or magnitude The environmental impacts of the New Madrid and Kutch earthquakes are descriptively rich but the relative contributions of river flooding versus tectonic subsidence are difficult to discern in these older accounts Considering high-magnitude bankfull discharge as a setup for an earthquake-triggered avulsion climate change may increase susceptibility of these basins to unanticipated landscape responses as documented here The extent and character of sand dikes and other soft-sediment deformation and seismite features were surveyed on cleaned exposed walls and floors of a freshly dug and unfilled pond and their orientation was mapped using a theodolite Bulk major and trace element concentrations were measured on 20 g of dried bulk sediment using a portable XRF (Thermo-Scientific Niton XL3 Analyzer) The grain-size distributions of each luminescence sample and of sediment obtained from the BNG-MS3 borehole were measured by laser diffraction using a Malvern Mastersizer 3000 particle-size analyzer and area of site development for five-year intervals over the last two decades (2003–2023) The data generated in this study are provided in the Supplementary Information and Supplementary Data files. Supplementary Data 1–3 are offered as once excel file with three sheets Accelerated river avulsion frequency on lowland deltas due to sea-level rise When does faulting‐induced subsidence drive distributary network reorganization Testing morphodynamic controls on the location and frequency of river avulsions on fans versus deltas: Huanghe (Yellow River) Causes of river avulsion: insights from the late Holocene avulsion history of the Mississippi River channel evolution and floodplain sedimentation rates of the anastomosing upper Columbia River Geomorphic and sedimentary response of rivers to tectonic deformation: a brief review and critique of a tool for recognizing subtle epeirogenic deformation in modern and ancient settings Coseismic river avulsion on surface rupturing faults: Assessing earthquake-induced flood hazard and the seismic cycle in the Nepal Himalaya Anthropocene metamorphosis of the Indus Delta and lower floodplain Locked and loading megathrust linked to active subduction beneath the Indo-Burman Ranges Geotechnical hazards in Bangkok-present and future Flood management on the lower Yellow River: hydrological and geomorphological perspectives Earthquake‐induced chains of geologic hazards: Patterns Characteristics of deformation and past seismicity associated with the 1819 Kutch earthquake The 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes: cascading geological hazards and compounding risks Application of paleoseismic data to seismic hazard assessment and neotectonic research Stream response to repeated coseismic folding Stratigraphic evidence for millennial-scale temporal clustering of earthquakes on a continental-interior fault: Holocene Mississippi River floodplain deposits Anatomy of Mississippi Delta growth and its implications for coastal restoration Geomorphology and quaternary geologic history of the lower Mississippi valley (U.S Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station 1819: with a revision of the great earthquake of 12th June Surface deformation related to the 1819 Kachchh earthquake: evidence for recurrent activity Notes on the Runn of Cutch and neighbouring region Geologic effects-liquefaction and associated ground failure US Geological Survey Open-File Report 84-760 Using liquefaction‐induced and other soft‐sediment features for paleoseismic analysis Integrating geochronologic and instrumental approaches across the Bengal Basin Sedimentation and basin-fill history of the Neogene clastic succession exposed in the southeastern fold belt of the Bengal Basin Bangladesh: a high-resolution sequence stratigraphic approach Cenozoic history of the Himalayan-Bengal system: sand composition in the Bengal basin Floodplain processes in the Bengal Basin and the storage of Ganges-Brahmaputra river sediment: an accretion study using 137Cs and 210Pb geochronology Importance of flood-plain sedimentation for river sediment budgets and terrigenous input to the oceans: Insights from the Brahmaputra-Jamuna River Piecing together the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River delta: use of sediment provenance to reconstruct the history and interaction of multiple fluvial systems during Holocene delta evolution Dominant process zones in a mixed fluvial–tidal delta are morphologically distinct Survey of liquefaction structures induced by recent moderate earthquakes Seismically induced clastic dikes as a potential approach for the estimation of the lower-bound magnitude/intensity of paleoearthquakes Liquefaction-related ground failure: a case study in the New Madrid seismic zone Liquefaction evidence for strong earthquakes of Holocene and latest Pleistocene ages in the states of Indiana and Illinois Genesis and diagnostic value of soft-sediment deformation structures—a review Mechanisms and controls on the formation of sand intrusions Sediment delivery to sustain the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta under climate change and anthropogenic impacts Incipient fluidization and particulate systems Prediction and countermeasure against the liquefaction in sand deposits Abstract of the seminar in the Port and Harbor Research Institute 31–333 (Ministry of Transport Assessment of soil liquefaction potential: a case study for Moulvibazar town Report on the great earthquake of 12th June 1897 In Large rivers: geomorphology and management river metamorphosis and reworking by underfit streams: a modern example from the Brahmaputra River in Bangladesh and a possible ancient example in the Spanish Pyrenees Effects of tectonic deformation and sea level on river path selection: theory and application to the Ganges‐Brahmaputra‐Meghna River Delta Stratigraphic evolution of the late Holocene Ganges-Brahmaputra lower delta plain and soft-sediment deformation in sedimentary basins Plateau ‘pop-up’in the great 1897 Assam earthquake New GNSS and geological data from the Indo‐Burman subduction zone indicate active convergence on both a locked megathrust and the Kabaw Fault Modelling the seismic potential of the Indo-Burman megathrust Precise locating of the great 1897 Shillong Plateau Earthquake using teleseismic and regional seismic phase data Reevaluated intensities for the great Assam earthquake of 12 June 1897 Site response of the Ganges basin inferred from re-evaluated macroseismic observations from the 1897 Shillong Permanent upper plate deformation in western Myanmar during the great 1762 earthquake: Implications for neotectonic behavior of the northern Sunda megathrust The potential for giant tsunamigenic earthquakes in the northern Bay of Bengal earthquake-driven coastal subsidence in the Ganges–Brahmaputra Delta (Sundarbans) since the eighth century deduced from submerged in situ kiln and mangrove remnants Rapid coastal subsidence in the central Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta (Bangladesh) since the 17th century deduced from submerged salt-producing kilns Microatolls document the 1762 and prior earthquakes along the southeast coast of Bangladesh IV.–On the Delta and Alluvial Deposits of the Mississippi and other points in the Geology of North America The lost history of the New Madrid earthquakes Geomorphic characteristics and morphologic dating of the Allah Bund Fault scarp In Tectonics and structural geology: Indian context A Manual of Elementary Geology (Fifth Edition) Waters of hope: from vision to reality in Himalaya-Ganga development cooperation Morphological response of the Brahmaputra–Padma–Lower Meghna river system to the Assam earthquake of 1950 Modeling Earth deformation from monsoonal flooding in Bangladesh using hydrographic and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data Enormous Ganges-Brahmaputra sediment discharge during strengthened early Holocene monsoon Monsoon sedimentation on the ‘abandoned’ tide-influenced Ganges-Brahmaputra delta plain South Asian monsoon history over the past 60 kyr recorded by radiogenic isotopes and clay mineral assemblages in the A ndaman S ea Hydrologic sensitivity of Indian sub-continental river basins to climate change A first look at the influence of anthropogenic climate change on the future delivery of fluvial sediment to the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna delta The 2009 flood event in the Red River Basin: causes Compound flooding in Houston-Galveston Bay during Hurricane Harvey The influence of tropical cyclones on the evolution of river conveyance capacity in Puerto Rico Role of rainfall intensity and urban sprawl in the 2014 flash flood in Genoa City Tracking the weight of Hurricane Harvey’s stormwater using GPS data The impacts of climate change on river flood risk at the global scale Global projections of river flood risk in a warmer world Understanding the regional pattern of projected future changes in extreme precipitation Managing the risks of extreme events and disasters to advance climate change adaptation: special report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change Rising tide: The great Mississippi flood of 1927 and how it changed America Flood risk of natural and embanked landscapes on the Ganges-Brahmaputra tidal delta plain How climate change worsened the catastrophic flood in Libya The great avulsion of Kosi on 18 August 2008 Avulsion threshold and planform dynamics of the Kosi River in north Bihar (India) and Nepal: a GIS framework A global analysis of human settlement in coastal zones Bangladesh’s dynamic coastal regions and sea-level rise probability and risk assessment in the city of Kolkata India: its historical perspective and deterministic scenario Liquefaction hazard mapping by liquefaction potential index for Dhaka City Site-specific seismic hazard and risk potential of Bengal Basin with emphasis on holistic seismic hazard microzonation and its structural impact assessment in the cities of Dhanbad and Mymensingh Increased human risk caused by cascading hazards–A framework Aligning the Global Delta Risk Index with SDG and SFDRR global frameworks to assess risk to socio-ecological systems in river deltas Exceedance probability of multiple natural hazards: risk assessment in China’s Yangtze River Delta Levee failures and social vulnerability in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta area Earthquake-induced sediment failures on a 0.25° slope Integrated use of seismograph and strong-motion data to determine soil amplification: response of the Fraser River Delta to the Duvall and Georgia Strait earthquakes Evidence for Jericho earthquakes from slumped sediments of the Jordan River delta in the Dead Sea Delta dynamics: effects of a major earthquake and river flows on Ciénega de Santa Clara and the Colorado River Delta Near-field deformation from the El Mayor–Cucapah earthquake revealed by differential LIDAR Effects of the Alaska earthquake and tsunami on recent deltaic sediments Flood hazard threat on cultural heritage in the town of Genoa (Italy) Amplification of earthquake ground motions in Bangkok 12th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering New Zealand 30 (New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering Luminescence dating of delta sediments: novel approaches explored for the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta Testing for sufficient signal resetting during sediment transport using a polymineral multiple-signal luminescence approach Selection of integration time intervals for quartz OSL decay curves Google earth engine: planetary-scale geospatial analysis for everyone Download references National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship (NSF EAR-1855264) and a National Center for Earth Surface Dynamics postdoctoral fellowship (NSF EAR-1246761) a Graduate School for Production Ecology & Resource Conservation (PE & RC) of Wageningen University visiting scientist grant to S.L.G National Science Foundation grant (NSF EAR-1714892) to M.S.S Soil Geography & Landscape group and Netherlands Centre for Luminescence dating Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences Noakhali Science and Technology University Department of Environment & Biodiversity supported in-country study design and local research contexts conducted strontium and grain-size analyses drafted the manuscript with contributions from C.V.H. All authors reviewed and commented on the manuscript Nature Communications thanks Till Hanebuth reviewer for their contribution to the peer review of this work Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47786-4 a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science Hundreds of millions of pilgrims flocked to the Ganges for this year’s festival housed in a sprawling temporary metropolis stretching across 4,000 hectares of the floodplains of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh a city in Uttar Pradesh known as Allahabad until 2018 Millions waded into the freezing waters of the sangam – the sacred confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers the Saraswati – believing that a single dip could wash away a lifetime of sin the riverbanks teemed with saffron-clad sadhus bare-chested pilgrims and families clutching brass urns Pilgrims performing one of the rituals associated with the ‘holy water’ of the rivers at this year’s Kumbh Mela The Maha Kumbh Mela, which is likely to have been the world’s largest religious gathering, concluded on 26 February, with the Uttar Pradesh government claiming that a staggering 660 million people had visited over its duration It was also the scene of a tragedy this year when at least 30 devotees died in a crush It is easy to see the risk of such crushes when on the days seen as most auspicious for bathing when the crowds swelled to tens of millions the riverbanks seemed to disappear under the weight of pilgrims pressing forward their chants and the sound of conch shells blown in rituals echoing through the air The Kumbh Mela has been held every 12 years for centuries, but this year’s was no ordinary pilgrimage. The state government, along with Hindu leaders, declared the 2025 Maha Kumbh to be a once-in-a-lifetime event citing a rare celestial alignment that occurs once every 144 years 250 miles of temporary roads and 30 pontoon bridges chair of urban planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Design the temporary settlement had all the characteristics of a megacity the festival grounds replicate various social and physical infrastructures transforming the barren floodplain into a fully functioning city,” he says 500,000 parking slots and 25,000 free tents A 775-mile network of water pipes was laid to support the massive influx of pilgrims, and 150,000 toilets were installed, cleaned and maintained by 15,000 sanitation workers. Every day, 400 tonnes of rubbish were collected A temporary ashram – a monastery-like retreat – with lifesize cutouts of Hindu sages on the upper floors After nearly two and a half years in the planning, the temporary festival city is now being dismantled, with more than 10,000 labourers working day and night to remove tents and dismantle infrastructure Dismantling it will take nearly two months It’s also a race against time as it must be done before the monsoonVijay Kumar AnandVijay Kumar Anand says: “It took months to build this city; and dismantling will take nearly two months It’s a race against time as it must be done before the monsoon arrives as the river will reclaim what was always hers.” Suppliers span India, with vendors transporting materials from other states. Some, such as Lalloo Ji & Sons, a local event-management company, have been providing materials for the religious festivals for nearly a century and were also commissioned to erect 35,000 tents this year tents and pontoons will be dismantled and stored in warehouses to be repurposed for future events including the next Maha Kumbh in 12 years and the Magh Mela a smaller gathering that takes place in Prayagraj every year expect to be working here for another month Though efforts were made to avoid single-use disposable materials A portion of the inventory – such as pontoons generators and streetlights – will be redistributed across Uttar Pradesh these resources will be deployed,” says Anand “Pontoons are often sent to flood-affected villages while streetlights find their way to rural areas in need of better infrastructure.” 25% will be reserved for the annual Magh Mela festival Items with limited value gradually trickle into local markets they make their way into informal settlements where the poorest communities repurpose them – bamboo are often used to construct homes in urban bastis [shanties],” says Mehrotra About a quarter of the lighting and power infrastructure from the vast site will be kept for use at future festivals in Uttar Pradesh especially those who could not attend the main event But the holy river itself is in a dire state with mounds of rubbish strewn along the riverbanks and in the water Thousands of workers continue to clean the riverbanks removing the waste left behind by pilgrims – both as religious offerings and indiscriminate dumping The vast majority of these workers belong to lower-caste communities who are historically forced to undertake sanitation work Pilgrims left behind a combination of rubbish and religious offerings working daily from 6am to 3pm since the festival began “I must be filling at least 100 to 150 garbage bags a shift,” he says its tents and makeshift streets dismantled those who came not as pilgrims but as labourers begin boarding crowded trains and trucks but with good fortune earned from a city that existed only briefly The sun sets over the scene of the largest ever gathering of humanity The record number of devotees is likely to be broken at the next Maha Kumbh Mela World Subscribers only Friedrich Merz bets on two private sector converts to revive the German economy and reform the state World Subscribers only 'A Pope in the tradition of Francis': From New York to Ghana Catholics hope for continuity at the Vatican World Subscribers only Chancellor Merz's diplomatic first week World Subscribers only Founder of Sant'Egidio community fears next pope could undo Francis's legacy Opinion Subscribers only 'Russian gas and Europe is an old story that ended badly Economy Subscribers only Europe's steel industry flattened by crisis World Subscribers only How European countries plan to fund defense efforts France Subscribers only Macron announces citizens' convention on school schedules France 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Subscribers only Desecration or more glory Joan Didion's private diaries are revealed Magazine Subscribers only For Jewish cartoonist Joann Sfar 2025."> Pixels Subscribers only Golden Owl solution is revealed but leaves players of 31-year hunt disappointed Pixels Subscribers only Secrets of decades-long Golden Owl treasure hunt to be revealed Lifestyle Inside Chanel's French leather workshops Culture Subscribers only The marvelous bronzes of Angkor on display at the Musée Guimet in Paris some 400 million people were expected to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela the most important religious event in Hinduism held this year in Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26 the world's largest pilgrimage that brings together several million people 70 million people visited the banks of the Ganges ove three weeks The Maha Kumbh Mela is held in Prayagraj every 144 years as is the case for the exceptional 2025 edition for which record numbers of pilgrims are expected Legend has it that for 12 divine days and nights gods and demons battle in the skies to possess the jug of amrita drops of amrita fall in four places: Prayagraj cities in which the Kumbh Mela festivals are held every 12 years and celebrations take place around the river The main event of the festival is the immersion in the Ganges which is meant to wash away all the sins of 88 generations on certain dates defined by astrological calculations after which they cover themselves with ashes A temporary city has been built on a 4,000-hectare site to accommodate the faithful Some 40,000 police officers have also been stationed The government has invested enormous resources in communication to promote this festival on the borderline between the religious and the political Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version Lecture du Monde en cours sur un autre appareil Vous pouvez lire Le Monde sur un seul appareil à la fois Ce message s’affichera sur 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you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page All News FIDE News Chess News Top Top Federations Main Page / Search Tournaments Titles Transfers Calculators Download FIDE Circuit Women's Events '24-'25 Open Cycle 2025-2026 Women’s Cycle 2025-2026 Women’s Cycle 2023-2025 All Tournaments Main Events About FIDE Handbook Documents Financial Reports Officials Commissions & Committees Federations Affiliated Organizations Affiliated Members Honourable Dignitaries Chart PBS Alaskan Knights continue their unbeaten run while Ganges Grandmasters secure their first win in a dramatic day at the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League The arena at London’s Friends House was packed as spectators gathered for the third day of the Global Chess League The PBS Alaskan Knights extended their lead with a dominant 12-3 win over the Ganges Grandmasters maintaining a perfect record with four consecutive victories earning them 12 match points and 49 game points Defending champions Triveni Continental Kings played two matches today—winning the first 15-3 against American Gambits where Alireza Firouzja defeated world number two Hikaru Nakamura but narrowly losing the second to Ganges Grandmasters Triveni remain in second place with six match points and 43 game points They now sit in third position with six match points though their 27 game points from three matches leave them behind Triveni have only one win from four matches and 29 game points after losing to the Pipers today The big upset of the day came in the final match: Ganges Grandmasters finally broke their losing streak with a 10-8 win over Triveni With one win and 24 game points from four matches Hikaru Nakamura’s American Gambits are in last place with only one match victory and 16 game points from three matches Here follows a closer look at the matches of the day: PBS Alaskan Knights dominate with four wins in a row as Vishy Anand’s Ganges Grandmasters struggle at the bottom The third day of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League kicked off with a clash between the tournament leaders The coin toss gave the Alaskan Knights the white pieces with 20 minutes per player on the clock—there are just 40 minutes for the entire match it was clear this was going to be a tense fight Momentum briefly seemed to shift toward Ganges as computer evaluations favoured them on several boards the Knights got an edge on the lower boards The first game to wrap up was on the superstars’ board missed a winning opportunity against Nodirbek Abdusattorov allowing the game to end in a draw—a frustrating outcome for Ganges In the clash between Icon players Vishy Anand and Anish Giri the former world champion built a powerful position ended up drawing due to time issues Alina Kashlinskaya gave the Alaskan Knights an early lead with a crucial win on the women’s board Although Ganges’ Parham Maghsoodloo seemed poised to level the score a last-second blunder handed victory to Knights’ Shakhriyar Mamedyarov Tan Zhongyi extended the Knights’ advantage with another win on the second women’s board Nihal Sarin calmly secured a draw against Volodar Murzin sealing a dominant 12-3 victory for the Alaskan Knights Defending champions Triveni sweep past gambits as Nakamura loses to Firouzja faced off against last year’s champions It was the first meeting between these two teams both sitting on three match points with one victory and one defeat each World number two and top chess streamer Hikaru Nakamura found himself in deep trouble against Alireza Firouzja—both on the board and the clock Nakamura couldn’t escape and was forced to resign with Wei Yi defeating Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Alexandra Kosteniuk pulling off a miracle win in a lost position against Bibisara Assaubayeva These victories sealed the match for Triveni With the remaining three games ending in draws Triveni triumphed with a commanding 15-3 score The win keeps the defending champions in the thick of the competition while the Gambits will need to find their form quickly if they want to challenge for the top spot saying that the atmosphere in his team is great and that they are in good form for the event This is the strongest chess league in the world but our team is in good shape,” Alireza said in an interview after the match  Rapport and Dardha lead Alpine Pipers to 12-4 Victory against Mumba Masters Next up were the Mumba Masters and Alpine Sg Pipers the Pipers opted to play with the black pieces Team captain GM Pravin Thipsay explained the decision “It was based on the team we are playing against When you play with the black pieces in the first half of the league you have more chances to maneuver in the final part so I thought it was better to take Black now.” Alpine’s Magnus Carlsen found himself in a defensive position against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Indian teammates Vidit Gujrathi (Mumba Masters) and Praggnanandhaa also played to a balanced draw The pressure then shifted to Alpine’s star GM Richard Rapport who delivered a crucial win against Peter Svidler Despite starting with the advantage of the first move Svidler found himself in an inferior position early on and couldn’t recover leaving the match to be decided on the junior board Alpine’s Daniel Dardha secured a victory over Raunak Sadhwani by promoting an extra queen and clinched a 12-4 win for the Pipers This result propelled Alpine Sg Pipers to third place in the league with six match points The day concluded with a high-stakes match between Triveni Continental Kings and Ganges Grandmasters Vishy Anand’s team was under immense pressure desperate for their first victory after three crushing defeats Already reeling from an earlier loss in the day using his authority as a former world champion to lift their spirits where players had to prove they could outmanoeuvre their opponents putting Anand on the back foot as Black against Alireza Firouzja The young French star steadily built up pressure Despite Anand’s best efforts to resist Ganges’ Arjun Erigaisi settled for a fourth consecutive draw Triveni extended their lead when Alexandra Kosteniuk beat Vaishali Rameshbabu who had spoiled a winning position in the previous match redeemed himself with a crucial victory over Teimour Radjabov the match’s fate rested on Valentina Gunina and Nurgyul Salimova Gunina pushed too hard despite her team being ahead handing Ganges the crucial four points they needed to pull off their first win of the tournament Official website: globalchessleague.com/ Head – Global Corporate Communications & Public Affairs Email: Abhilasha.Gupta@TechMahindra.com; media.relations@techmahindra.com © 2025 FIDE International Chess Federation stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means) without the written permission of FIDE International Chess Federation The new factual documentary will explore the biggest gathering on Earth – the Maha Kumbh Mela Festival in Northern India BBC Factual has commissioned leading Bristol-based specialist factual production company Wildstar Films (a Fremantle Media company) to produce Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges (working title) a one-hour documentary special for BBC One and iPlayer exploring the biggest gathering on Earth – the Maha Kumbh Mela Festival in Northern India Journalist and presenter Amol Rajan joins up to 500 million pilgrims from all over the globe who come together for the world’s largest religious festival and this year's Kumbh is a once in a lifetime event due to a special alignment of the planets in the solar system Pilgrims numbering more than the combined populations of the US and UK gather in an area the size of Manhattan to purify themselves in the waters and gain salvation for themselves and their families This is a profoundly personal journey for Amol who was born in India to a practising Hindu family Amol has struggled to come to terms with the death of his father three years ago and hopes that reconnecting with his birthplace at one of Hinduism's most important religious events Amol meets pilgrims spread out across 20 square miles of the temporary megacity erected in just a few weeks on the banks of the rivers Those gathered range from smartphone-wielding urbanites to rural farming families as they wait their turn to immerse themselves in the sacred waters But attending the largest gathering of people in history is not without risks and Amol comes face to face with the tragic side of pilgrimage On the most auspicious bathing day an estimated 60 million people arrive at the festival and there is a dangerous stampede that leads to at least 30 dying and more injured Amol must abandon his plans as surging crowds cause chaos and confusion While the authorities race to keep the festival going safely he must navigate his own feelings towards the tragedy and assess whether to make it to the river at all Amol Rajan said: “This journey is both a monumental privilege and an invitation to understand one of the most beautiful and profound religions and civilisations our world has ever known It also comes - as viewers will discover - at a vital moment for me this is the most auspicious adventure I have ever been on BBC Head of Religion and Ethics for Television said: "This pilgrimage is an immensely personal one for Amol and will bring another side of the presenter to audiences as he takes us inside one of the world’s most extraordinary religious events” Executive Producer and Director of Development at Wildstar Films added: “Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges (w/t) will immerse viewers in a spectacular assault on the senses provided by the most monumental human gathering in Earth’s history along with the feats of construction and organisation involved in building and running a temporary mega-city on a flood plain to house 500 million people the film will also investigate why in an increasingly secular world the promise of spiritual salvation holds such sway.” Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges (w/t) is a Wildstar Films production for BBC One and iPlayer It is directed and produced by Brigid McFall the editor is Dilesh Korya and the executive producer is Anwar Mamon Specialist Factual and the Commissioning Editor is Daisy Scalchi Fremantle International is the worldwide distribution partner for the documentary which is being sold under the working title Kumbh Mela: Earth's Biggest Festival and is being launched to global buyers at the London Television Screenings 2025 Hides preview environment warning banner on preview pages Select a theme and theme mode and click "Load theme" to load in your theme combination Rency Thomas’ record-setting kayak expedition on the River Ganga you’ve probably heard of India’s Ganges River: It is one of the world’s longest rivers at nearly 2,700 kilometers Tracing the border of India and Bangladesh the Ganges basin is home to more than half of India’s population and it’s considered holy to people of Hindu Expedition paddler and raft guide Rency Thomas grew up knowing that the Ganges River is central to his Indian culture and national identity rivers are considered very sacred and holy,” says the 36-year-old resident of Manali “The River Ganga is the most sacred river of all It is believed that by bathing in the holy waters of Ganga one can purify the soul from all sins and attain salvation.” The Ganges has another important meaning to Thomas: It’s where he discovered paddling the River Ganga was part of our lives in stories in academics like geography and history,” he says A self-propelled source to sea expedition was the ultimate way for Thomas to pay tribute to this sacred waterway and satisfy his own desires to know it more intimately He knew portions of the Ganges were remote with difficult access Thomas also faced the challenge of dealing with his own chronic arthritis which makes it difficult for him to sit in place for long periods of time “I have been a chronic arthritis patient since the age of 20,” he says “Many of my joints are affected and have limited mobility Last year I had a very severe flare-up and was bedridden for almost two months Two of my fingers on my right hand were deformed with limited mobility This scared me and made me want to finish my dream project as soon as possible.” he also put in about 800 kilometers of mountain biking to avoid obstructions or other difficulties on the river “It was pretty much a pure exploration in the river as there are no navigation charts or earlier data,” Thomas says Even the satellite imagery is not reliable as it’s been recorded before monsoon.” The Ganges River is home to incredible wildlife and Thomas encountered millions of migrating birds golden mahseer (an endangered species of carp) freshwater turtles and gharials (a critically endangered The greatest highlight for Thomas was seeing Gangetic dolphins a unique freshwater dolphin that’s elusive and difficult to observe [ Plan your next river run with the Paddling Trip Guide ] The characteristics of the Ganges changed considerably over the course of Thomas’ 95-day expedition from the Himalayas to the Bengal Sea The waterway passes through five different Indian states and Thomas notes that for just about every 100 kilometers of river there’s a distinct culture and dialect Just as Thomas sought to explore the river as a means of challenging his body and getting to know his home country he discovered the Ganges River is truly “a lifeline for the people” of India “The culture and life around this huge river is so overwhelming.” As he neared the end of his 2,600-kilometer sojourn Thomas was left with a firm feeling of resolve that’s gaining momentum across India as local environmentalists battle to leverage legal “personhood” status to protect the Ganges River “The river needs to be safeguarded,” Thomas asserts “Any destruction to this river in terms of pollution and building dams can be very devastating to the rich wildlife and people The people living around this river are dependent on it for drinking water irrigation—even the industries around rely on the water from Ganga Any developments in and around Ganga must be sustainable and special focus and awareness should be given in keeping the river clean.” Completing his journey felt like “a dream come true.” “I find solace in outdoor sports,” Thomas says “I love high-altitude trekking and mountaineering but it’s on the water where I feel most at home I feel so proud of my accomplishments but at the same time so humble and thankful to River Ganga for keeping me safe.” and website in this browser for the next time I comment Inspiring paddlesports participation through quality coverage of the people trends and events that make paddling something you'll do for the rest of your life Official magazine of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) By Three billion litres. That’s the amount of sewage produced by the towns and cities each day surrounding the Ganges River in India – equivalent to 1,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools Polluted by large volumes of waste, the quality of water in the Ganges River has deteriorated in recent years, prompting the Government of India to launch the Namami Gange to revitalise it Along with the transmission of diseases that can occur in the river’s polluted waters its cultural and spiritual significance means curbing the pollution in its waters is even more vital But what exactly is the Namami Gange and are its efforts to tackle pollution in the river going to help Launched in 2014 with an initial $4 billion of investment the Namami Gange is a programme spearheaded by the Indian Government focusing on tackling the untreated sewage and industrial effluent flowing into the Ganges Since 50 major Indian cities are near its main stem the Ganges is faced with both domestic and industrial sewage that can severely impact human and marine health one of the pledges of the Namami Gange is to incorporate the rehabilitation of existing sewage treatment plants Planting and growing native trees along the water is a measure being taken within the programme to combat pollution too these trees can then prevent pollutants and sediment from entering the river The effects of unsustainable farming can also have an impact on the Ganges these can then run off into the river basin and further pollute it Instead, farmers are being encouraged to use more sustainable practices, opting for cow dung and plant extracts meaning that over-extraction of river water can be reduced too On the wildlife front, the programme has also sought to educate local communities on ecosystem conservation and restoration. Species including the Ganges River dolphin softshell turtles and otters are targets for restoration under the Namami Gange In 2022, the UN recognised the Namami Gange as one of 10 pioneering efforts to revive the natural world Now marked as a ‘World Restoration Flagship’ the programme is eligible to receive UN support as well as funding and technical expertise Illegal sand mining and riverfront development projects – such as properties being built on the river’s floodplains for tourism purposes – occur in the river. And according to some scientists, a lack of focus on the smaller tributaries and stream offshoots of the Ganges has also meant that some of the river’s cleanup efforts have failed Another major issue of the Namami programme is the decision made under it to make many of the villages around the river open defecation free (ODF) Although in theory this might appear to curb the waste going into the Ganges the poorly-managed toilet systems in the region mean they quickly overflow with waste and villagers resort again to defecating near the river this makes the efforts to halt pollution in the river’s waters far more difficult However, despite these issues, the programme has also had its successes too. Since its inception, it been able to turn 30,000 ha of land into forests near the river green spaces hoped to sequester 15 million tons of carbon by 2030 as well as helping to prevent sediment and pollution run into the river Two hundred sewerage infrastructure projects – such as sewage treatment plants – have been sanctioned under the programme with a total of 116 projects now completed and made operational 11 locations along the Ganges now have river surface cleaning where the collection of floating solid waste is performed Species including the Ganges River dolphin are also benefitting from the Namami Gange Now equipped with the knowledge of how to untangle dolphins from fishing nets fishermen are able to rescue dolphins and release them into the wild has reportedly returned to parts of the river even though there have been advances made under the Namami Gange programme there is still much work to be done to save the Ganges from pollution With 105,000 ha hoped to be restored in the next six years as well as revitalising the entire river’s vast 2,525km length the road to a clean Ganges is one paved with complexity and hard work Filed Under: Science & Environment Tagged With: Click Here for SUBSCRIPTION details Want to access Geographical on your tablet or smartphone Android or PC/Mac image below to download the app for your device Copyright © 2025 · Site by Syon Media Volume 13 - 2025 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2025.1523537 This article is part of the Research TopicProtected Area Management and Large and Medium-Sized Mammal ConservationView all 7 articles is one of the most endangered cetaceans in the world and is seriously in danger from dams and barrages one of the four freshwater cetacean species in the world The GRD primarily inhabits freshwater and estuarine zones The present study (2022–23) conducted a seasonal survey at the Bhagirathi–Hooghly River systems of West Bengal to investigate the abundance and potential threats in the lower stretches of the River Ganga During the survey we recorded 303 dolphins with higher numbers of individuals in dry season (0.47 dolphins/linear km) than in the wet season (0.29 dolphins/linear km) The study also confirmed that freshwater dolphins primarily inhabit river confluences and river meanderings with abundant prey-fish The rapidly declining Ganga River dolphin faces numerous potential threats and a lack of awareness about dolphin conservation and ensuring as well as maintaining enough dry season flows are likely to help preserve dolphin numbers and reduce competition for fish with fishermen Globally, rivers and estuaries in Asia and South America are home to three species of freshwater dolphins: Lipotes vexillifer, Inia geoffrensis, and Platanista gangetica. These are among the six species of freshwater dolphins. The Chinese River dolphin, Lipotes vexillifer, is considered functionally extinct (Turvey et al., 2007) The two remaining species are Platanista gangetica which includes two subspecies: Platanista gangetica minor (the Indus River dolphin) and Platanista gangetica gangetica (GRD) Inia geoffrensis is the name of the Amazon River dolphin the tucuxi (Sotalia fluviatilis) in South America the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) in Asia and the finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) in Asia inhabit both freshwater and marine environments while crustacean species were dominant during the Covid-19 lockdown After the Farakka Barrage became operational in 1975 the GRD population in the main Ganga waterway split into two subpopulations They can now be found in five subpopulations in India: Farakka to the Brahmaputra population and Ganga Sagar The current study looked at dolphin abundance and potential risks to their habitat in the Bhagirathi-Hooghly River basins in West Bengal both boat-based and land-based survey methods were followed Map showing the sampling location of dolphin sightings This method involved simple calculations of the number of dolphins per measured area and was used to assess the sighting abundance of the dolphin population by counting the dolphins during the survey and assuming that every individual was spotted With an inflatable rubber (25 hp)/country boat the surveys were conducted throughout the pre-monsoon (February–May) which are regarded as the dry and wet seasons between 8:00 and noon and 15:00 and 17:00 during the day The study has not differentiated any sexes-adults, sub-adults, juveniles, or calves. A single dolphin count was considered, despite their size and sex. At every point, observations of dolphins and their respective probable anthropogenic threats were recorded. According to the methods described by Tosha et al. (2024) secondary data on dolphin populations and human-made threats were collected from the local fishermen who spend a lot of time on fishing activities The study sites were selected based on earlier studies and river characteristics (such as confluences Along with the dolphin population estimates observations on impending threats to the dolphins and fish species abundance have also been recorded The survey was conducted once in monsoon (wet seasons) We conducted a Student “t” test to identify any significant differences in the dolphin population between the dry and wet seasons Platanista gangetica is recorded from Farakka Barrage to Naya char (Tengra char) according to a comprehensive seasonal dolphin study undertaken in 2022–2023 The survey estimated up to 303 dolphins and dry seasons were found to have a higher abundance than wet seasons Dolphin populations showed a significant difference between the dry and wet seasons They are normally seen in groups of 3-7 dolphins but they can be seen in larger groups (as many as 14-17 dolphins have been reported from Balagarh locations near the confluences of the Bhagirathi and Churni at different periods) near the confluence of rivers and channels with the main river The highest number of dolphin sightings were at the confluence of rivers and channels both through direct experimental fishing (gill nets with 10–60 mm mesh sizes bag nets with 5–10 mm cod end mesh sizes which was primarily captured using various multi-gears Most of the fish species (>75%) were small fish with a few exceptions of larger fish (Tenulosa ilisha The increased population of dolphins in the Feeder canal could be attributed to breeding and/or migration from nearby areas Per-km encounter rate of Gangetic dolphins studied by other researchers According to Sinha and Kannan (2014) investigation small fish accounted for the bulk (74.0%) of the capture composition at the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary Regulation of fishing intensity in dolphin hotspots helps assure the availability of prey for dolphins are increasing in comparison to previous reports The substantial decrease in large predatory fish that compete with dolphins for fish prey may be one of the reasons for river dolphin persistence in overexploited systems like the lower reaches of the Ganga Anderson first reported the GRD distribution in the 1870s (1879) the dolphin’s distribution encompassed a large network of interconnecting river systems across southern Nepal From the foothills of the Himalayas to the Sundarbans delta as well as other big and medium-sized tributaries Population status of Platanista gangetica in the rivers Brahmaputra and Ganga and their tributaries They found that changes in the concentrations of zooplankton and bacterioplankton over time and space clearly show how complex and changing the estuary is Incidental killing of dolphin by monofilament gill at Godakhali (photo source: local fishermen) The Ganges dolphin population has been impacted by the Farakka Barrage has gone extinct because of the construction of a sluice gate the water’s diversion into an artificial channel (now called the Katakhal River) Kannan et al. (1997) state that siltation river resource extraction (such as stone mining) chemical pollution in rivers from both point and non-point sources and habitat loss or degradation due to unsustainable abstraction of river water for irrigation and other uses are the main threats to the Ganges dolphin throughout its entire distribution range and they tend to congregate near fish-rich areas Intense fishing by fishermen located near ideal dolphin habitats using a variety of nets has also had a direct impact on the dolphin population due to a lack of food because dolphins serve as top predators feeding on a variety of fish Intense overfishing by different types of gill nets was also found to be a potential threat to the dolphin population of the Barak River, Assam, as it directly affects the dolphin population through a shortage of fish food (Mazumder et al., 2014; Bordoloi and Saharia, 2021). Reduced numbers of large fish caught, a decline in selective fishing, and a decrease in mesh size are indicators of overfishing (Shin et al., 2005) Accidental killing of river dolphins with the collision of vessels at Falta (photo source: local fishermen) which hinders population expansion even more Restrictions on fishing and other riverine activities can result in immediate economic losses for communities dependent on these practices. The unequal distribution of conservation benefits can intensify socioeconomic inequalities, especially among marginalized groups (Kelkar et al., 2010) The local fisherfolk participated in the establishment of the Vikramshila Dolphin Sanctuary which facilitated dolphin monitoring and generated alternative income sources through ecotourism The establishment of the sanctuary led to increased dolphin populations and improved livelihoods for the community Future research must prioritize the quantification of socio-economic impacts and the refinement of strategies aimed at maximizing ecological and community benefits The Bhagirathi-Hooghly River dolphin population can be saved for a long time if the following conservation strategies are implemented: • The banning of detrimental fishing methods as well as the development and promotion of alternative fishing methods • Reduce unintentional death by promoting rescue and release and providing enough knowledge to local fishermen through skill development programs • Managing planned dolphin-focused tourism which has the potential to provide a steady source of income for fishermen and communities • Restoring and conserving habitat through law enforcement • Investigating the biological aspects of Ganges dolphins and lowering river pollution levels Recommendations for the conservation of GRDs • Law enforcement to prevent the by-catch and incidental catch of dolphins • Ensuring adequate water flow and water quality • Dolphin surveys are conducted regularly Time series monitoring of dolphin surveys should be conducted on the entire distribution ranges in the Ganga basin to determine the status so that appropriate management plans can be implemented The survival of the dolphins is at risk because of this change in gear usage which has reduced the amount of prey and by-catch the establishment of community fisheries in water bodies connected to rivers is necessary to improve community well-being good use and management of water bodies connected to rivers will raise people’s socioeconomic status and lessen their need for rivers • Local fishers reliant on the Ganga River should participate in the planning of any development initiatives • Fishers must be cognisant of natural resources and the subsequent impacts of exotic species • The application of harmful chemicals in agricultural fields adjacent to riverbeds • The wetlands associated with the Ganga River require restoration to conserve small fish species and the conversion of these wetlands to agricultural land should be prohibited have been found in dolphin and other animal tissues There is an urgent need to prevent such harmful substances from entering river systems To address the ecological or other challenges facing all higher vertebrate species and undertake conservation and management initiatives scientific information must be collected and maintained the seeds of these species were raised to a size of more than 100 mm before ranching River ranching is a regular practice by ICAR-CIFRI as a part of fish stock enhancement under the NMCG flagship program (photo source: ICAR-CIFRI) Indigenous fish species harvested from rivers not only improve fish stocks and the livelihood of the river’s dependent fish population but also provide prey for dolphins which ultimately helps to lessen conflicts between fishermen and dolphins satellite transmitters should be used to tag GRDs which will provide vital information about their habitats and behaviour that will aid in long-term conservation dolphins are prevented from becoming bycatch due to electronic pingers that are linked to fishing nets which may be affixed to the canal gate pillars causes dolphins to avoid these pinger locations and thereby avoid the risky canals They also stated that visual examination revealed that the attachment of pingers in the nets reduced non-calf encounters by 52% and calf encounters by 9% The WWF (2023) established community fishery management zones and deployed the pinger device in the Indonesian river Mahakam to increase the use of sustainable fishing methods and prevent dolphins from accidentally being caught in nets and other equipment The pingers prevent dolphins from unintentionally becoming tangled in fishing nets by being fastened to them They also assist local fishermen by preserving their nets and frequently increasing fish catches together with continued river guard oversight assist in preserving present population numbers and fostering constructive neighbourhood relations Awareness programs on dolphin conservation along with hilsa and fish conservation are being practised at the whole stretches of the Ganga (photo source: ICAR-CIFRI) Releasing of dolphin calf stranded in the shallow waters by the local fishers (photo source: local fishermen from Katwa) Local fishermen may play a crucial role in dolphin conservation and sanctuary management if they are given incentives to monitor and control their fishing operations. Dolphins and fisheries can both be saved through sustained restoration efforts. Instead of eradicating local fisheries, river dolphin conservation may help to restore them. Table 3 provides a summary table on potential threats and recommendations for the GRDs Summarised potential threats and recommendations of GRD The GRD population has drastically decreased because of pollution and irrigation canal water diversions have drastically changed natural flow patterns Ganges dolphins maintain the food chain and the equilibrium of the freshwater ecology in the river It is believed that the survival of fish and crustaceans depends on their healthy population Disturbances and changes in flow will impact the accessibility The Ganga basin must legally enforce appropriate flow releases and biologically significant river flows for both policy and execution purposes we should prioritise protecting the shallow and deepwater habitats of dolphins in their most suitable locations Along with education and awareness among locals and fishers community involvement in conservation efforts is also desperately needed Written informed consent was obtained from the individual(s) for the publication of any identifiable images or data included in this article The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support offered by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) The authors are also grateful to all the local fishermen who aided in experimental fishing and shared their catch along with vital information The author(s) declare that no Generative AI was used in the creation of this manuscript All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2025.1523537/full#supplementary-material Impact on endangered Gangetic dolphins due to construction of waterways on the river Ganga Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar platanista gangetica gangetica (Roxburg) in the river buriganga Google Scholar Status and distribution of the gangetic dolphin platanista gangetica gangetica (Roxburg) in river buriganga during 2003-2004 and its conservation Google Scholar Anatomical and zoological researches comparison an account of the zoological results of the two expeditions to Western Yannan in 1868 and 1875 and a monograph of the two Cetacean genera Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar “Handbook of fisheries and aquaculture,” in Directorate of knowledge management in agriculture (ICAR Google Scholar Time dependent activity pattern of Ganges River Dolphin Platanista gangetica gangetica and its response to human presence in Upper Ganges River Abundance and prey availability assessment of Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) in a stretch of upper Ganges River Conservation of ganges river dolphin in upper ganga river (New Delhi: WWF-India) Google Scholar Status of Ganges River dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) in the Ganga River basin Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Sciaenid species diversity and associated gears at in Hooghly-Matlah Estuary of West Bengal Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Fishery and population dynamics of Otolithoides pama (Hamilton 1822) from hooghly-matlah estuary of west bengal mortality and exploitation status of Otolithoides pama (Hamilton 1822) from hooghly-matlah estuary of west bengal Ecology of river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) in the Upper Brahmaputra Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Current status of the endangered ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) the aquatic megafauna in the brahmaputra river system Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Habitat Fragmentation and Species Extirpation in Freshwater Ecosystems; causes of range decline ofthe Indus River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor) doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.20173.RLTS.T41758A50383612.en Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar River dolphin distribution in regulated river systems: implications for dry-season flow regimes in the Gangetic basin Conservation and biomonitoring in the vikramshila gangetic dolphin sanctuary Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar The endangered ganges river dolphin heads towards local extinction in the barak river system of assam Google Scholar CIFRI Website (2023). 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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) *Correspondence: Basanta Kumar Das, YmFzYW50YWt1bWFyZEBnbWFpbC5jb20= Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish The Ganges River holds immense importance for both Bangladesh and India the two nations signed the historic Ganges Water Sharing Treaty aimed at ensuring an equitable distribution of the river’s waters during the critical dry season (January to May) the upcoming negotiations for its renewal present an opportunity for Bangladesh to assert its right to a fair share of the Ganges waters addressing both historical grievances and emerging challenges The Ganges Water Sharing Treaty of 1996 marked a significant milestone in Bangladesh-India relations It replaced the ad-hoc arrangements that had previously dictated water allocation and established a long-term framework for cooperation The treaty allocated specific water flows to both countries based on a 10-day average during the dry season while ensuring a minimum flow of 35,000 cusecs at Farakka for Bangladesh in times of extreme scarcity the treaty has not been without controversy Bangladeshi stakeholders have frequently criticized the agreement for inadequate enforcement mechanisms and for failing to account for variability in river flow exacerbated by climate change and upstream usage in India the diversion of Ganges water through India’s Farakka Barrage has long been a point of contention as it affects the river’s flow downstream and salinity intrusion in Bangladesh’s southwestern regions Bangladesh’s position on the Ganges water-sharing issue is rooted in principles of equitable and reasonable utilization The nation depends on the Ganges for sustaining its agricultural productivity especially in the dry season when water scarcity severely impacts crop yields and critical ecosystems that are vital for the livelihoods of millions of Bangladeshis driven by upstream water diversions and climate change Inadequate dry-season flows often lead to desertification and declining groundwater levels in the country’s southwestern delta These issues underscore the urgency of renegotiating a treaty that guarantees Bangladesh an equitable and enforceable share of the river’s waters Climate Change Adaptation: The renewed treaty must account for the impacts of climate change which collectively threaten water availability in the Ganges basin Increased Transparency: Strengthening mechanisms for data sharing and joint monitoring is crucial and upstream usage should be accessible to both parties to foster trust and ensure compliance Legal and Enforcement Mechanisms: The absence of a binding dispute resolution mechanism has been a weakness of the 1996 treaty The renewed agreement should include provisions for arbitration or mediation to address potential conflicts Environmental Sustainability: Ensuring minimum ecological flow in the Ganges is essential to maintain the health of the riverine ecosystem The treaty should prioritize sustainable water management practices to balance human needs with ecological preservation Addressing Upstream Diversions: Bangladesh must advocate for a fair allocation that accounts for India’s increasing upstream withdrawals should be subjected to prior consultation and impact assessments to safeguard Bangladesh’s interests Renewing the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty in 2026 offers an opportunity to build a more equitable and forward-looking agreement Engage in Robust Diplomacy: Bangladesh should leverage regional and international forums to highlight its concerns and gain support for its demands Engaging with India’s policymakers and civil society can also help foster mutual understanding Strengthen Technical Capacity: Enhancing the technical expertise of Bangladeshi negotiators and investing in hydrological research will strengthen the country’s position in the talks Build Regional Cooperation: The Ganges is part of the larger Himalayan river system Promoting basin-wide cooperation through multilateral frameworks can help address transboundary water challenges more effectively the renewal of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty presents both challenges and opportunities for Bangladesh By asserting its rightful share and advocating for a treaty that reflects contemporary realities Bangladesh can safeguard its water security and ensure the sustainable management of the Ganges for future generations Achieving this goal will require not only technical expertise and diplomatic acumen but also a commitment to fostering trust and collaboration with India Enter your e-mail address to subscribe to our daily news service Support our Peace and Nonviolence journalism with your donation PressenzaAn international news agency dedicated to news about peace and nonviolence with offices in Athens We use cookies to analyse our traffic and to embed third party content The Ganges Delta (pictured from satellite) is the largest river delta in the world The dark part of the delta is the Sundarbans a vast wildlife preserve and mangrove swamp A new study suggests an earthquake of estimated magnitude 7.5 or 8 shook the Indian subcontinent 2,500 years ago A huge earthquake that shook southern Asia 2,500 years ago abruptly changed the course of the Ganges River The earthquake was previously unknown to science, but researchers spotted clues of its immense force buried in the landscape near Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. The team revealed its findings in a study published Monday (June 17) in the journal Nature Communications The quake likely reached magnitude 7.5 or 8 and was so powerful it rerouted the main stem of the Ganges — despite the displaced section of river being more than 110 miles (180 kilometers) away from the quake's epicenter The Ganges is one of the largest rivers in the world, flowing for about 1,600 miles (2,500 km). It starts in the Himalayas, on the border between India and China and then flows east through India to Bangladesh The combined waterways fan out to form the largest river delta on Earth and empty out into the Bay of Bengal Related: Why do earthquakes happen far away from plate boundaries? Like other rivers that flow through big deltas the Ganges can change its own course — without help from an earthquake — by carrying sediments that gradually accumulate on the riverbed enough sediment builds up in one spot to grow taller than the surrounding landscape at which point the river spills over and carves out a new path for itself While this process occurs over several years or decades an earthquake could potentially reroute a river more or less instantaneously Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox "It was not previously confirmed that earthquakes could drive avulsion in deltas, especially for an immense river like the Ganges," study lead author Liz Chamberlain a geochronologist and assistant professor at Wageningen University in the Netherlands Satellite imagery gave scientists the first clues that the Ganges had been violently rerouted in the past Chamberlain and her colleagues spotted what looked like an old river channel running parallel to the Ganges roughly 62 miles (100 km) south of Dhaka The researchers then explored the region to gather more evidence and found bands of sand cutting through the muddy ground in several locations They identified the bands as seismites — vertical layers of sand that "erupt" when an earthquake shakes watery soils — and concluded that they had formed in a single event.  —Part of the San Andreas fault may be gearing up for an earthquake Chemical analyses of the sand and mud revealed that the event which the scientists deduced must have been a huge earthquake The second is the subduction of the Indian Ocean crust beneath Bangladesh Both processes are occurring more than 110 miles from where the researchers found the seismites which suggests the Ganges-rerouting earthquake had a minimum magnitude of 7.5 to 8 A 2016 study led by Steckler showed that both the Shillong Massif and the Indo-Burman subduction zone could trigger earthquakes of a similar magnitude again Such a quake could affect around 140 million people Sascha PareSocial Links NavigationStaff writer Sascha is a U.K.-based staff writer at Live Science She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Southampton in England and a master’s degree in science communication from Imperial College London Her work has appeared in The Guardian and the health website Zoe bread-making and browsing second-hand shops for hidden gems 'This is a very big earthquake': The science behind Myanmar's magnitude 7.7 earthquake Creepy 'ghost lanterns' in South Carolina are not what they seem Bone collector caterpillar: The very hungry caterpillar of your nightmares Kevin Krajick A major earthquake 2,500 years ago caused one of the largest rivers on Earth to abruptly change course, according to a new study. The previously undocumented quake rerouted the main channel of the Ganges River in what is now densely populated Bangladesh, which remains vulnerable to big quakes. The study was just published in the journal Nature Communications Scientists have documented many river-course changes, called avulsions, including some in response to earthquakes. However, “I don’t think we have ever seen such a big one anywhere,” said study coauthor Michael Steckler, a geophysicist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory which is part of the Columbia Climate School It could have easily inundated anyone and anything in the wrong place at the wrong time Lead author Liz Chamberlain an assistant professor at the Netherlands’ Wageningen University “It was not previously confirmed that earthquakes could drive avulsion in deltas especially for an immense river like the Ganges.” The Ganges rises in the Himalayas and flows for some 1,600 miles eventually combining with other major rivers including the Brahmaputra and the Meghna to form a labyrinth of waterways that empty into a wide stretch of the Bay of Bengal spanning Bangladesh and India they form the world’s second-largest river system as measured by discharge Like other rivers that run through major deltas the Ganges periodically undergoes minor or major course changes without any help from earthquakes Sediments washed from upstream settle and build up in the channel until eventually the river bed grows subtly higher than the surrounding flood plain the water breaks through and begins constructing a new path for itself But this does not generally happen all at once—it may take successive floods over years or decades the authors of the new study spotted what they say was probably the former main channel of the river some 100 kilometers south of the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka This is a low-lying area about 1.5 kilometers wide that can be found intermittently for some 100 kilometers more or less parallel to the current river course Chamberlain and other researchers were exploring this area in 2018 when they came across a freshly dug excavation for a pond that had not yet been filled with water they spotted distinct vertical dikes of light-colored sand cutting up through horizontal layers of mud This is a well-known feature created by earthquakes: In such watery areas sustained shaking can pressurize buried layers of sand and inject them upward through overlying mud Further investigation showed the seismites were oriented in a systematic pattern suggesting they were all created at the same time Chemical analyses of sand grains and particles of mud showed that the eruptions and the abandonment and infilling of the channel both took place about 2,500 years ago there was a similar site some 85 kilometers downstream in the old channel that had filled in with mud at the same time sudden avulsion triggered by an earthquake and could produce earthquakes comparable to the one 2,500 years ago The last one of this size occurred in 1762 producing a deadly tsunami that traveled up the river to Dhaka The 2016 study estimates that a modern recurrence of such a quake could affect 140 million people “Large earthquakes impact large areas and can have long-lasting economic social and political effects,” said Syed Humayun Akhter vice-chancellor of Bangladesh Open University and a coauthor on both studies The Ganges is not the only river facing such hazards Others cradled in tectonically active deltas include China’s Yellow River; Myanmar’s Irrawaddy; the Klamath Other coauthors of the new study are at the University of Cologne Germany; the University of Dhaka; Bangladesh University of Professionals; Noakhali Science and Technology University Bangladesh; and the University of Salzburg More: Michael Steckler discusses geohazards in Bangladesh on the podcast Planet on the Move. The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. This Earth Month, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" Com’on looks like a pipe capped covered with some sort of motor Shows the unlimited power of natural phenomena A similar event in modern times would be catastrophic Predicting technology should be developed and in place Get the Columbia Climate School Newsletter About Contact Media Ask a Question/Suggest a Story ©2024 Columbia University The dates displayed for an article provide information on when various publication milestones were reached at the journal that has published the article activities on preceding journals at which the article was previously under consideration are not shown (for instance submission All content on this site: Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V., its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. For all open access content, the relevant licensing terms apply. In 2025, between January 13 and February 26, about 400 million people, more than the population of the United States, are expected to participate in the festival, that will take place in Prayagraj, located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It has become the largest such gathering of humans anywhere on Earth. Planning for such an incredible number of pilgrims can be a logistics nightmare, but the local government has some experience. It successfully organised a smaller version of the festival called Ardh Kumbh, or Half Kumbh, in 2019, when 240 million visitors were recorded, with about 50 million taking a ritual bath on the busiest day. Planning for even larger numbers in 2025, the state government has formed the Maha Kumbh Mela area in Prayagraj into a separate administrative district for four months. As the 2025 festival draws closer, construction of the temporary district is in full swing.  Divided into 25 sections and spreading over 40 square kilometres, it will have housing, roads, electricity and water, communication towers, and 11 hospitals. In preparation, hundreds of workers and machines currently crowd the river's edge.  Working around the clock, they are laying water and drainage pipes, building 30 pontoon bridges (up from 22 in 2019), and compacting sand dredged from the river to enlarge the banks along the 12 kilometre-long stretch where pilgrims will gather to bathe. Scaffolding for tents, some of which will house as many as 25,000 pilgrims, is being erected. About 20,000 workers are responsible for keeping the area and its more than 150,000 temporary toilets clean. About 50,000 security personnel — a 50 per cent increase from 2019 — are being trained in how to keep the festival safe. "The mela can be a very stressful environment for the personnel, so we are teaching them stress management and training them in soft skills to interact better with the pilgrims," said senior superintendent of police Rajesh Diwedi, who is overseeing security operations. More than 2,500 cameras, some powered by AI, will send crowd movement and density information to four central control rooms, where officials can quickly deploy personnel to avoid stampedes. Many devotees will stay for more than a month, observing austerity, giving alms, and bathing at sunrise every day. Hindus venerate rivers, and none more so than the Ganges. The faithful believe that a dip in its waters will cleanse them of their past sins. Wherever other sacred rivers flow into the Ganges, the perceived benefits of bathing at the confluence on auspicious days increases.  A devotee can hope to begin a journey to achieve Hindu philosophy's ultimate goal — the release from the cycles of birth and death. The most propitious of these days occur in cycles of 12 years, next falling within the 2025 dates. and culture with a uniquely Australian perspective Volume 10 - 2022 | https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2022.821050 This article is part of the Research TopicHydrobiogeochemistry of Major Asian RiversView all 11 articles contribute major loads of dissolved organic matter (DOM) into the Bay of Bengal and seasonal heterogeneity of DOM in these two rivers are thus very important to know about the biogeochemical cycles and ecological and environmental aspects before discharge into the Bay of Bengal DOM was characterized in the downstream reaches of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers before their confluence with each other The concentration of dissolved oxygen decreased in the pre-monsoon and monsoon in both rivers due to the increased decomposition and oxidation of rainfall-washed substances and thus made the water unsuitable for drinking The amount of total coliform also made the water of both rivers unsuitable for drinking and two protein-like) in the Ganges River and five DOM components (three humic- and two protein-like) in the Brahmaputra River were identified at their downstream reaches using fluorescence spectroscopy three-dimensional excitation emission matrix (EEM) measurement The abundances of DOM components were higher in the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons than in the post-monsoon season Protein-like components contributed the most in two rivers DOM was obtained mostly from terrestrial sources and was matured and less aromatic This study also identifies that sewage water is the largest contributor to DOM in surface water and indicates the excessive anthropogenic activities in the river basins of Bangladesh a more detailed study is needed on DOM quality such as changes in local natural runoff and inflows from upstream parts of a basin and local and upstream water consumption there is no insight into the downstream evolution of DOM composition in the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers in Bangladesh PARAFAC could separate the conjugated DOM components from the EEM The simple sample preparation technique and facile duo function of EEM-PARAFAC in fluorescence spectroscopy were worth using in this study The selection of the downstream position was thus very significant to know about the types and concentration of DOM and factors influencing their availability in both rivers this study aimed to characterize DOM components and identify their sources and fate downstream of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers of Bangladesh This study also targeted determining the degradation level of DOM of various origins and their contribution to the river water The downstream water samples of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers were collected from the river stretch in the Rajbari district (23° 46' 52.2" N, 89° 38' 36.9" E) and the Nogorbari port in the Manikganj district (23° 6' 48.6" N, 89° 39' 5.8" E) of Bangladesh from April 2018 to March 2019 (Figure 1) The sampling locations were significantly far away from the bank of the two rivers Water samples were collected in polypropylene bottles The sample bottles were washed with 10% HCl The water samples were filtered using a pre-combusted (at 450°C for 4 h in a Muffle furnace) Whatman GF/F glass fiber filter (0.7 µm) immediately by a hand pump in the field The filtered water samples were then preserved in the cooler box at 4°C while transported to the hydrobiogeochemistry and pollution control laboratory at the Department of Environmental Sciences All the instrumental measurements and chemical analyses of samples were completed immediately after reaching the department laboratory after sampling and total dissolved solids (TDSs) were measured in situ using an YSI multiparameter Map of the study areas and monitoring stations at the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers The map was created using ArcGIS 10.3.1 and the topographic image modified from ArcGIS/ESRI online The ultrapure Milli-Q water was used as a blank reference sample and was also used to convert arbitrary units of data into Raman units The filtered samples were also measured using an UV spectrophotometer (SPECORD 210 Plus Analytikjena) concurrently in the wavelength ranges between 190–1100 nm keeping scanning speed at 60 nm/min The parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) model was used to separate individual DOM components from the EEM using the DOMFluor toolbox (v1.7) in MATLAB software (v.2016a) (Stedmon and Bro, 2008). Blank Milli-Q water data were subtracted from the original sample data to remove Raman and Rayleigh scattering (Goletz et al., 2011; Stedmon and Bro, 2008) Sample data were validated properly using the split-half technique to identify the exact number of DOM components Considering the degradation effects on the DOM and detergent-like components were susceptible to being labile and humic (M) and tryptophan-like substances might be persistent DOMs in this study and sewerage water were considered the main DOM contributors to surface water The percentage contribution of DOM in a specific source was used to quantify its DPI value The DPI of a distinct source was calculated from the equation: The DPI was further coupled with the DOM end-member mixing model (Liao et al., 2021). The dual model was run in MATLAB software (v. 2016a) (Liao et al., 2021). The percentage contribution of DOM components from each natural/anthropogenic source into rivers was calculated (Liao et al., 2021) as follows: and (DPISW × fSW) describe the multiplication of DPI and percentage DOM contribution of algae 2.6 Quality Control and Quality Assurance and Data Analysis Quality control and quality assurance (QA/QC) were maintained in all analyses in this study Data entry was performed using Microsoft Excel Pearson’s correlation of DOM components in the downstream reaches of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers was computed using SPSS Physicochemical parameters in the downstream of Ganges (G) and Brahmaputra (B) rivers Characteristics of identified DOM components in the PARAFAC analysis in Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers Three-dimensional EEM measurement of DOM using monthly fluorescence data in the pre-monsoon (April): (A)-G and (B)-B; monsoon (August): (C)-G and (D)-B; and post-monsoon (December): (E)-G and (F)-B in the Ganges (G) and Brahmaputra rivers Identified fluorophores in the Ganges River: Peak A (Ex/Em = 245/414 nm) and Peak Tuv (230/346 nm) and in the Brahmaputra River: Peak A (Ex/Em = 245/418 nm) Fluorescence intensity of components in the downstream of (A) the Ganges and (B) Brahmaputra rivers The comparison of protein-like components with DOC concentration suggested that the Ganges River might contain phosphoric and other organic compounds in addition to carbonaceous and nitrogenous substances DOC concentration in the downstream of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers The minimum DPI value indicated the presence of persistent organic molecules in industrial effluents EEM spectra of common natural and anthropogenic DOM sources during the late monsoon at the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers basins: (A) algae These samples were collected separately from their sources and measured using a fluorescence spectrophotometer Degradation potential index (DPI) of common natural and anthropogenic DOM sources in the environment The DPI of sources was calculated using equation (i) and post-monsoon) in the DOM contribution (in percentage %) from various natural and anthropogenic sources in the environment to the downstream of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers in the pre-monsoon (March–June) and post-monsoon (November–February) The considered natural and anthropogenic DOM sources here are (A) algae The high DOM contribution from the sewerage water confirmed the enormous waste disposals unethically and a wide range of anthropogenic activity The concentration and sources of DOM changed dynamically from upstream to downstream in both the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers in Bangladesh physical and chemical interaction among DOM and state of the industrialization played a pivotal role in DOM dynamicity in the two rivers Photo-irradiation and microbial activity might function intensely to decrease DOM molecular size and weight in the downstream FIGURE 8. Comparison of DOM intensities between upstream and downstream of (A) Brahmaputra and (B) Ganges rivers. The fluorescence intensities in the upstream of Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers of Bangladesh were derived from Niloy et al. (2021a) and Niloy et al. (2022) This study provided a precise figure about the insights of the DOM components in the downstream of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers Both natural and anthropogenically derived DOM prevailed in both rivers The fluorescent intensity of DOM components was higher in the pre-monsoon and monsoon than in post-monsoon seasons in both rivers DOM components were mostly from terrestrial sources in both rivers The significant presence of detergent- and tryptophan-like DOM in the Ganges River indicated intense anthropogenic activities nearby its basin the Brahmaputra River basin was mainly covered by forest and vegetation due to the dominant presence of humic-like components The DPI and EMM identified sewerage water as the maximum DOM contributing source followed by terrestrial plants > algae > soil > groundwater > industrial effluents DOM components were matured and less aromatic DOM molecules contained lower energy from the late pre-monsoon to the entire monsoon than the rest of the year The downstream Ganges and the Brahmaputra River had more DOM than the upstream portion in Bangladesh The deteriorated condition in the downstream warned about the severe health effects on living species and suggested taking prompt actions to control and treat anthropogenic sources of DOM before discharging into surface water The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary Material; further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author NN and MH collected data and analyzed samples All authors wrote and reviewed the manuscript The authors would like to acknowledge the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) hosted by The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) MS (Award Agreement No.: 4500384865) under the Early career fellowship program 2018 This project was further supported by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Jahangirnagar University Faculty of Mathematical & Physical Sciences Research Grant for FY (2020–2021) and provided to Dr this work was carried out with the aid of a grant from the UNESCO and the International Development Research Center (IDRC) The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of UNESCO The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2022.821050/full#supplementary-material Assessment of Water Quality Status of Turag River Due to Industrial Effluent Google Scholar Anwar, J. 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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use *Correspondence: Mashura Shammi, bWFzaHVyYTkyNkBqdW5pdi5lZHU=; Shafi M. Tareq, c210YXJlcUBqdW5pdi5lZHU= †ORCID: Mashura Shammi, orcid.org/0000-0001-5449-4761; Shafi M. Tareq, orcid.org/0000-0002-6417-3846 You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Cosmos » Earth Sciences A major earthquake more than 2,500 years ago likely caused one of the world’s largest rivers to change course A global research team has made the finding in a study published today in the journal Nature Communications They warn a similar event has the potential to alter the course again The modern, 2500km long Ganges flows from the Himalayas southeast to cross into Bangladesh (where it is known as the Padma) connecting with the Brahmaputra and the Meghna rivers the Ganges-Padma is located around 50km south of Dhaka the research group found evidence of its former course around 100km from the city It points to a major event causing ‘avulsion’ – the sudden creation of a new river channel and desertion of another – likely caused by seismic activity especially for an immense river like the Ganges,” says study lead Liz Chamberlin a quaternary geochronologist at the University of Wageningen says “I don’t think we have ever seen such a big one anywhere.” It’s likely that a large earthquake caused a seismic shift in the trajectory of the river system Steckler found a similar event could directly impact 140 million people living in the region According to Steckler and colleagues in a 2016 paper, a subduction zone where the oceanic crust is being pushed below the landmass consisting of India, Bangladesh and Myanmar, and a splay fault in the Himalayas, are increasing in stress. Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace Public access to information is a key component of UNESCO's commitment to transparency and its accountability. Based on human rights and fundamental freedoms, the 2005 Convention ultimately provides a new framework for informed, transparent and UNESCO’s e-Platform on intercultural dialogue is designed for organizations and individuals to learn from shared knowledge or experiences from infl Established in 2002, the GEM Report is an editorially independent report, hosted and published by UNESCO. To recovery and beyond: The report takes stock of the global progress on the adoption and implementation of legal guarantees on Access to Info Addressing culture as a global public good For almost 75 years, the UNESCO Courier has served as a platform for international debates on issues that concern the entire pla Lifelong learning is key to overcoming global challenges and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Young people all around the nation have a wealth of creative ideas. Adolescents in coastal regions are creating bio-saline agricultural methods to cultivate crops in saline-affected areas. Students are creating environmentally friendly items and encouraging sustainable consumption in urban areas. Young people with strong IT skills are developing smartphone applications to monitor pollution levels and inform communities about environmental challenges.  Besides, the promotion of renewable energy is one topic I'm really passionate about. Climate change is mostly caused by fossil fuels, but we have the technology to switch to greener energy sources. In order to ensure that access to clean water and air is a basic human right rather than a luxury, we must make investments in solar, wind, and geothermal energy. Collective Action is KeyWhile individual efforts are important, real transformation necessitates group efforts. Our voices are a potent weapon that we, the youth, possess. Let's make use of them to lobby for more stringent environmental regulations, increase public awareness, and hold polluters responsible. Building a Sustainable Future For all of us, World Environment Day is a call to action. It serves as a reminder that we all share this planet and that our combined efforts will determine its future. Let's work together to make our country's young the Green Guardians of Bangladesh. Let's safeguard the Ganges Delta, our playground, and make sure that future generations may live in a healthy and sustainable environment. Photocredit: Saila, UNYAGWhile I support awareness efforts and beach clean-ups, but more has to be done than just nice gestures. Not a littering problem, but an environmental crisis is what we have to deal with. In order to achieve significant systemic change, we must put pressure on governments and businesses to make sustainability a top priority. Together, we can make a change! Together, we can have a greener future! Let’s celebrate this World Environment Day with new hope, let’s make a difference!                                       The Ganges at Bangladesh, near where the river changed course 2,500 years ago. Photo: Shutterstock Rivers often change course from repeated flooding or sediment build-up over the years. It often happens in deltas, but never before from earthquakes. Typically, sediments pile up. As the river bed rises, the water changes direction. It is not a quick process. But occasionally, you get a rapid shift in the course of a river, called an avulsion, within days or weeks.   What happened to the Ganges was a uniquely large avulsion. “I don’t think we have ever seen such a big one anywhere,” said study co-author Michael Steckler. Liz Chamberlain, the study’s lead author, and her colleagues were studying satellite images of the Ganges when they noticed a two-kilometer-wide crescent shape 45km from the river. On closer inspection, the crescent was a depression in the land, extending for 100km and almost parallel to the current river. The team believes it was the original main channel of the Ganges. Seismites along the old river bank. Photo: Chamberlain et al., 2024 The old riverbed has many of these stripes, suggesting they were all created at the same time. Analysis of the sediments confirms they are 2,500 years old. There is no record of an earthquake in the area at this time. Such a quake could happen again. Recent studies show that a massive, hidden fault beneath the Ganges Delta could trigger a megaquake that would impact 140 million people. In the sacred city of Varanasi, people pray and bath in the Ganges River. Photo: Shutterstock Rebecca McPhee is a freelance writer for ExplorersWeb. Rebecca has been writing about open water sports, adventure travel, and marine science for three years. Prior to that, Rebecca worked as an Editorial Assistant at Taylor and Francis, and a Wildlife Officer for ORCA. Based in the UK Rebecca is a science teacher and volunteers for a number of marine charities. She enjoys open water swimming, hiking, diving, and traveling. Sign up to receive ExplorersWeb content direct to your inbox once a week. Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. River’s main channel previously ran about 100km south of Dhaka in Bangladesh The Ganges river abruptly changed course 2,500 years ago following a devastating earthquake, according to a new study that raises concerns about the prevailing risk of megaquakes in South Asia. Researchers, including from the Columbia Climate School, discovered a previously undocumented quake that struck what is now Bangladesh “I don’t think we have ever seen such a big one anywhere,” said geophysicist Michael Steckler a co-author of the study published in the journal Nature The Ganges forms the world’s second-largest river system after the Amazon in South America, flowing for over 2,500 km through northern India and Bangladesh before joining the Brahmaputra and emptying into the Bay of Bengal. It forms a vast labyrinth of waterways that feeds the most densely populated region on the planet. While earthquakes are known as one of the key drivers of landscape change, their impact on river courses isn’t fully understood. Rivers are known to periodically change course without the help of earthquakes but this process generally takes successive floods over years or decades. When a river changes course, sediments wash from upstream, settle and build up and eventually cause the river bed to rise higher than the surrounding floodplain. But when the change of course is caused by a quake, the sediment flow can occur almost instantaneously. In the new study, scientists assessed a unique sediment feature that was first discovered in a freshly dug pond near Dhaka that had not yet been filled with water. On one flank of the pond, they spotted vertical dikes of sand that are well-known as a feature created by earthquakes. The dikes are caused when quakes pressurise buried sand and inject it up out of the soil like “literal sand volcanoes”, researchers said. On further analysis, scientists found the sand dikes in the pond were all created at the same time about 2,500 years ago. A similar change was discovered at a site about 85km downstream. Researchers said these changes are proof of the former main channel of the river that ran about 100km south of Dhaka. This fossil channel of the Ganges is a low-lying area about 1.5 km wide and stretches intermittently for some 100km parallel to the current river course. The extinct channel frequently floods and is used mainly for rice cultivation, scientists said. Researchers concluded from their findings that there was a “big, sudden avulsion triggered by an earthquake, estimated to be magnitude 7 or 8” which struck the region two and a half millennia ago. The quake was likely caused by a huge under-ocean tectonic plate shoving itself under Bangladesh, Myanmar and northeastern India, they said. Scientists noted that these zones are still building stress and could produce quakes of comparable magnitude again in this densely populated region. “Large earthquakes impact large areas and can have long-lasting economic, social and political effects,” Syed Humayun Akhter, vice-chancellor of Bangladesh Open University and an author of the study, said. Conservationists in India are celebrating the first-ever tagging of a Ganges river dolphin which they hope will help efforts to protect the endangered species Asia Lead for WWF's Global River Dolphin Rivers Initiative describes this tagging as “a significant milestone in conservation” who was responsible for the first successful tagging of an Indus river dolphin also lent her expertise to this project.  “Until 2021, Ganges and Indus river dolphins were considered the same species and little is known about their movement in these river systems,” says Khan “This tagging will provide crucial data to protect this endangered species and enable comparisons with the Indus river dolphin.” The scientists hope the tags will provide data that can help protect both Ganges and Indus river dolphins.  “Only six species of freshwater cetacean remain in the world today all of them endangered or critically endangered,” says Emily Cunningham MBE global lead for WWF's Global River Dolphin Rivers Initiative “Unlike their marine cousins freshwater cetaceans are especially difficult to study and as such the data and evidence necessary to inform their protection is lacking.” Main image: Ganges river dolphin/Getty Images More amazing wildlife stories from around the world Hotelier India Home » Development » “ZANA will be the ultimate choice for travellers looking to stay near the Ganges!” Espire Hospitality Group has unveiled its latest property The hotel offers views of the Ganges and the surrounding hills With curated rooms and personalized experiences, ZANA By The Ganges caters to all kinds of travellers; whether solo adventurers while the Celebrity Suites take luxury to another level These accommodations offer a 180-degree panoramic view of the Ganges promising an unparalleled experience of indulgence At Marshmallow, the resort’s signature rooftop restaurant guests can savor a curated menu of regional and international delicacies while dining against a stunning scenic backdrop guests can unwind at the rooftop infinity pool the resort provides easy access to river rafting Spanning 3,500 sq. ft., the Veda Ballroom is an event venue designed to host up to 180 guests, making it ideal for destination weddings, receptions, and milestone celebrations. HotelierIndia.com is the new digital destination for India hospitality, catering and leisure professionals, and the home of ITP’s industry-leading hospitality publications on the web. The site includes the very latest news, analysis and comment from our team of expert journalists; accurate and up-to-date industry data and contacts; and coming soon a whole host of exciting new business opportunities in the form of relevant tenders, project announcements, classified ads and industry jobs. Irish Times Dave McKechnie Memorial Journalism Prize logo In April 2022 The Irish Times deputy foreign editor Dave McKechnie died unexpectedly He was a highly valued colleague who left behind a rich journalistic legacy A gifted editor with a background in subediting Dave was also an accomplished reporter and writer As well as landmark reports from Colombia and Myanmar he had a long track record in sports journalism His work across all subjects showed considerable insight and flair and no little humour To commemorate his work, The Irish Times launched a journalism prize in his memory. The Irish Times Dave McKechnie Memorial Journalism Prize took the form of a writing competition The winner was Liz Cookman, who wrote a Kyiv Letter The first runner-up was Ailbhe MacMahon with a Varanasi Letter I see the first corpse of my visit while I am sitting in a cafe shrouded in saffron material and garlands of marigolds is being moved by stretcher through the alleyway outside A group of men is heaving the stretcher towards the Ganges river It’s a jarring scene, but the staff in the cafe seem unperturbed. This is a routine sight in Varanasi, known to Hindus as India’s holiest city with upwards of 100 bodies cremated every day out in the open by the riverside I have arrived at a time when India is making headlines worldwide for two separate events. Firstly, Hindu nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party have lost their outright majority in the elections for the first time in 10 years a terrible heatwave has gripped the country Temperatures in Varanasi are said to have climbed to 47 degrees while a weather station in Delhi recorded 52.3 degrees [ Liz Cookman wins Dave McKechnie Memorial Journalism PrizeOpens in new window ] One of the world’s oldest continuously lived-in cities Hindus come to bathe in the sacred waters of the Ganges to cremate a loved one or to die in the city; it is believed that being cremated in Varanasi will unshackle a person from the cycle of rebirth I am staying in a small guest house in the old town where the alleyways are too narrow for anything with more than two wheels to negotiate These streets are a heady maze to walk through music schools and yoga centres coat the walls Tinny radio music spills from behind closed doors A cow headbutts me in the arm as it passes joined by rust-coloured splatters of chewing tobacco spat out by street traders blare their horns as they whip around corners The alleyways eventually churn me out on the banks of the Ganges Cremations take place on funeral pyres at the river’s “burning ghats” the most auspicious of which is the Manikarnika Ghat With the heatwave claiming lives across the country the number of cremations taking place at Varanasi has risen Not all bodies are cremated – there are exceptions for pregnant women children and people who die of snake bites Their bodies are instead weighted down and buried in the opaque waters of the Ganges [ Snakebite study: Irish team unlocks the secret of snakes’ venomOpens in new window ] It feels like an invasion of privacy to watch a stranger’s cremation unfold, but respectful observation is welcome, I’m told. By the brutal heat of the pyres, I join a group of onlookers and watch as a body is carried down to the Ganges, the deceased’s mouth filled with the river’s holy water. The colourful synthetic fabrics dressing the body are then removed, with simple white cloth left to shield the corpse. Once the body is placed atop a pyre, the blaze is lit by the deceased’s male relatives. Pungent smoke swirls in every direction. It will take several hours for the body to burn, with the ashes then cast into the Ganges. There’s something about the process that, in a small way, reminds me of an Irish wake; the catharsis of seeing a loved one for a final goodbye. By the ghats I get speaking to a woman who is visiting from the state of Bihar. Every religion has its last rites, and these are Hinduism’s, she tells me. People come here to see the realities of life and death, she adds. I see a stray dog sleeping soundly in the cast-off material from the bodies. Nearby, a cow eats one of the marigold garlands. At the water’s edge, men pan through the ashes for gold and silver – the remains of jewellery and gilded dental work. At sunrise the next morning, I go on a boat ride along the Ganges. It’s 5.30am but temperatures are already in the high 30s. I ask the boat captain, Ashish, if the blistering work of open-air cremations is ever paused due to the intense heat. He shakes his head. It never stops, it’s 24/7, he replies. It is a time of flux in India. But, to an outsider, it seems that time stands still at Varanasi’s ghats, where time-honoured rituals are given the same reverence day in and day out. Facebook pageTwitter feed© 2025 The Irish Times DAC