Skip to main content

Fight for conserving Ganga far from over: Priests warn Modi

By Medha Patkar and Sandeep Pandey*
The legendary Prof Guru Das Agrawal, who got promoted from a lecturer directly to professor at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur after having finished his PhD from University of California at Berkeley in two years and laid the foundation of India's anti-pollution regimen as the first member-secretary of Central Pollution Control Board, ultimately failed to convince a government about his viewpoint on rejuvenation of river Ganga and had to pay for this with his life.
He died on October 11, 2018 after 112 days of fasting on lemon water and honey, last three days of which were without any water at all.
It may be intriguing why the government, which rode to power on a Hindutva agenda, did not listen to a Hindu saint, which he had become in 2011, at the age of 79 years, on an issue of ecological and religious significance of Ganga, which was at the core of Prime Minister's election campaign. Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanand, as Prof Agrawal was now known, had put forward a draft for National River Gangaji (Conservation and Management) Act in 2012. The government came up with The National River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Bill in 2017 and updated it in 2018. The two draft Bills however, differed in their basic perspectives.
During his sixth and last fast he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5, 2018 that whereas the National Environmental Appellate authority of previous Manmohan Singh government had suspended the Lohari Nagpala hydroelectric project, even after some construction was over, on his clearly articulated demands and declared a length of over hundred kilometres of Bhagirathi from Gangotri to Uttarkashi as an Eco-Sensitive Zone, which means no destructive activity could take place here, the present government had not done a thing for conservation of Ganga even after four and a half years of being in power. He repeated his four demands which he had intimated to PM before going on fast:
  1. The draft prepared by him along with Advocate MC Mehta and Paritosh Tyagi, among others, be placed before and passed by the Parliament, 
  2. All under-construction and proposed hydroelectric projects on streams directly flowing into Ganga in the upper reaches, downstream and its tributaries be scrapped with immediate effect, 
  3. All mining and deforestation activities be banned in Ganga basin, and 
  4. Form Ganga Bhakt Parishad to work to protect the interest of Ganga. 
He never heard from the PM till his death, even though during his fifth fast in 2013 Rajnath Singh as the then Bhartiya Janata Party president had promised to him that all his demands related to Ganga would be met when Narendra Modi government will come to power.
Prof Agrawal wanted Ganga to be declared a national symbol. His main emphasis was on conservation of Ganga in its natural pristine glory, unobstructed natural flow, which he called as Aviral, and unpolluted water quality, which he described as Nirmal. He also wanted a ban on discharge of any untreated or treated sewage or industrial effluents in Ganga, incineration of any kind of solid waste, setting up of any units discharging pollutants, deforestation, illegal stone quarrying and sand mining, river-front development structures and chemicals or hazardous substances to be used in its vicinity. These have become necessary if any river is to be protected against destruction and degradation.
It is important to know that Prof Agrawal's important learnings emerged from his engineering experience with Rihand dam while working for the Uttar Pradesh State Irrigation Department.
As a true scientist Prof Agrawal precisely defined Aviral to mean minimum environmental/ecological flow at every place, including the downstream of each dam, and at all times with universal bed, lateral, open-to-air, longitudinal and temporal connectivities. He believed that to preserve the unique qualities of water of Ganga, that is, non-putrefying, disease destroying, health enhancing and pollution destroying it was necessary to ensure its Aviral flow.
Similarly, Nirmal doesn't merely mean meeting the standards on water quality related to pH (measure of acidity or alkalinity), Dissolved Oxygen, Biological Oxygen Demand, Chemical Oxygen Demand, Total Dissolved Solids, Free Chlorine and Total Chlorine or water treated by Reverse Osmosis process and Ultraviolet rays.
The special 'self-cleaning' property of Ganga, he concluded scientifically, is because of presence of bacteriophages, coliform destroying capabilities, large amounts of exo-cellular polymers coming from trees present in Himalayan uplands, unique mix of heavy and radioactive metals, ultra fine silt or micro nucleii in the water. Essentially it is the rocks, sediment, vegetation including medicinal plants or ecology of the upper region that contributes to special property of Ganga described as Nirmal.
Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Water Resources, Riven Basin Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, is known to have publicly said that he understands the concept of Nirmal but not that of Aviral. It is quite obvious that accepting Prof Agrawal's concept of Aviral would disallow construction of any more dams.
Another view emanating from the ruling BJP government is that they don't care about the country, religion or its people but are only interested in 'Development.' Development which is clearly corporate driven and, as is now established, yields sufficient kickbacks to fund the next electoral cycle of the political party in power.
Hence even though a senior functionary of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, who tried to mediate, said he agreed theoretically with Prof Agrawal's vision on Ganga, the compulsions of realpolitik sealed the fate of Prof Agrawal and by extension that of Ganga. This threat will loom large on life and livelihood of people living in other river valleys too.
Prof Agrawal also fasted five times during the United Progressive Alliance regime. However, he never faced a threat to his life. The only time he fasted during the National Democratic Alliance government's tenure it proved fatal for him. This also demonstrates that the development paradigm is not sensitive to socio-cultural issues, including religion, or environmental issues, in spite of the PM having won a United Nations award, and is more brazenly pro-corporate and less humane under the present government.
The vacuum created by Prof Agrawal's demise almost seems to be unfillable. Where is another strong voice for Ganga? To many religious minded Prof Agrawal appeared to be in the mould of mythological figure Bhagirath, almost single handedly taking up the cause of Ganga.
A true condolence to him would be to brace ourselves for fight against governments which believe in concept of development with attendant destruction of nature, corporations which implement such misplaced and misgoverned ideas of governments, contractors plundering natural resources including sand from river bed and the catchment, all three insensitive to human beings in the name of 'development.'
The fight for conservation of Ganga is far from over. The chief priest of Matre Sadan, the ashram in Haridwar Prof Agrawal chose as his fast site, Swami Shivanand has warned Narendra Modi that after Swami Sanand he and his disciples will ensure that the chain of fasting doesn't break. One Swami Gopal Das had also begun fasting soon after Swami Sanand started his fast on June 22, 2018.
Earlier Swami Nigmanand, also associated with Matre Sadan, laid down his life in 2011 on the 115th day of his fast, which is alleged to be a murder at the behest of a mining mafia associated with the then ruling BJP government in Uttarakhand. How many more lives will be sacrificed at the altar of development?
---
*Well-known social activists

Comments

TRENDING

Wave of disappearances sparks human rights fears for activists in Delhi

By Harsh Thakor*  A philosophy student from Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University, and an activist associated with Nazariya magazine, Rudra, has been reported missing since the morning of July 19, 2025. This disappearance adds to a growing concern among human rights advocates regarding the escalating number of detentions and disappearances of activists in Delhi.

How community leaders overcome obstacles to protect forests and pastures in remote villages

By Bharat Dogra  Dheera Ram Kapaya grew up in such poverty that, unable to attend school himself, he would carry another boy’s heavy school bag for five kilometers just to get a scoop of daliya (porridge). When he was finally able to attend school, he had to leave after class five to join other adolescent workers. However, as soon as opportunities arose, he involved himself in community efforts—promoting forest protection, adult literacy, and other constructive initiatives. His hidden talent for writing emerged during this time, and he became known for the songs and street play scripts he created to promote forest conservation, discourage child marriages, and support other social reforms.

‘Act of war on agriculture’: Aruna Rodrigues slams GM crop expansion and regulatory apathy

By Rosamma Thomas*  Expressing appreciation to the Union Agriculture Minister for inviting suggestions from farmers and concerned citizens on the sharp decline in cotton crop productivity, Aruna Rodrigues—lead petitioner in the Supreme Court case ongoing since 2005 that seeks a moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops—wrote to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on July 14, 2025, stating that conflicts of interest have infiltrated India’s regulatory system like a spreading cancer, including within the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).

The GMO illusion: Three decades of hype, harm, and false hope

By Sridhar Radhakrishnan  Three decades of hype, billions of dollars spent, and still no miracle crop. It's time to abandon the GMO biotech fairy tale and return to the soil, the seed, and the farmer. “Trust us,” they said. “GMOs will feed the world.” Picture a world where there is plenty of food, no hunger, fields grow without chemical pesticides, children are saved from malnutrition, and people live healthily.

Overriding India's constitutional sovereignty? Citizens urge PM to reject WHO IHR amendments

By A Representative   A group of concerned Indian citizens, including medical professionals and activists, has sent an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to reject proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) before the ratification deadline of July 19, 2025. 

Sandra Gonzalez Sanabria: An inspiring life from Colombia’s Amazonian valley

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  In the village of Héctor Ramírez, known as Agua Bonita, in La Montañita, Caquetá, Colombia, a vision of peace and renewal is unfolding. In the pre-2016 period, this would have been nearly impossible for outsiders to visit, as it was the epicenter of violent resistance against state oppression. However, after the Peace Accord was signed between the Colombian government and former revolutionaries—marking the end of a 70-year insurgency that claimed over 400,000 lives until 2025, including civilians, rebel fighters, and security personnel—things began to change. Visiting Agua Bonita during the Global Land Forum in Bogotá revealed a village of hope and resilience. Former FARC revolutionaries have settled here and transformed the village into a center of peace and aspiration.

Indigenous Karen activist calls for global solidarity amid continued struggles in Burma

By A Representative   At the International Festival for People’s Rights and Struggles (IFPRS), Naw Paw Pree, an Indigenous Karen activist from the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), shared her experiences of oppression, resilience, and hope. Organized with the support of the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), the event brought together Indigenous and marginalized communities from across the globe, offering a rare safe space for shared learning, solidarity, and expression.

Activists allege abduction and torture by Delhi Police Special Cell in missing person probe

By A Representative   A press statement released today by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) alleges that several student and social activists have been abducted, illegally detained, and subjected to torture by the Delhi Police Special Cell. The CASR claims these actions are linked to an investigation into the disappearance of Vallika Varshri, an editorial team member of 'Nazariya' magazine.

India’s zero-emission, eco-friendly energy strategies have a long way to go, despite impressive progress

By N.S. Venkataraman*   The recent report released by OPEC’s World Oil Outlook 2025 has predicted that by the year 2050, crude oil would replace coal as India’s key energy source. Clearly, OPEC expects that India’s dependence on fossil fuels for energy will continue to remain high in one form or another.