Unseen Passage: River Ganga

For millions of people in India, river Ganga is the most sacred river. It is considered as mother and goddess. It is also a lifeline to millions of Indians who live on the banks of its course and depend on it for their daily needs. River Ganga is the third largest river in the world by the amount of water that flows through it. It is the longest river in India. The river water of Ganga is used for irrigation, transportation and fishing. The Gangetic plain formed by the river Ganga is one of the most fertile lands on earth. This is why almost 10% of the world population lives here and earns its livelihood. The Ganga, in India, is the most worshipped body of water. The irony here is that in spite of being the most worshipped river, it is also the dirtiest one. It carries metals thrown out by tanneries, waste produced by industries and urban waste from different cities. All this has made river Ganga the fifth most polluted river in the world. Another major reason that adds to the Ganga river pollution is the coal-based power plants on its banks which burn tons of coal every year and produce a lot of fly ash. This ash mixed with domestic wastewater is released into the river. This bad situation calls for an urgent need to make efforts to reduce pollution and revive river Ganga. To achieve these objectives, the Government of India has started a programme named “Namami Gange Programme”. The main pillars of this programme are sewage treatment, river surface cleaning, afforestation, riverfront development and public awareness. The importance of the success of “Namami Gange Programme” can be seen through the following lines: Ganga dies, India dies. If Ganga thrives, India thrives. No Ganga, No India.

Q. On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer the following questions:

1. The Ganga water is used for __________.
   1. irrigation
   2. transportation
   3. fishing
   4. all of the above
2. The pollutants that make river Ganga very dirty are:
   1. effluents from industries
   2. urban waste from cities
   3. metals discharged from tanneries
   4. all of these.
3. The Namami Ganga project has been started by __________.
   1. an NGO
   2. people of India
   3. Government of India
   4. local bodies.
4. Most people in India consider the Ganga as __________.
   1. Mother
   2. River
   3. Goddess
   4. Both 1 and 2
5. River __________ is a lifeline for millions of Indians.
   1. Ganga
   2. Krishna
   3. Narmada
   4. Yamuna
6. __________ of the world population lives near river Ganga.
   1. 15%
   2. 30%
   3. 10%
   4. 20%
7. The Ganga is the __________ most polluted river in the world
   1. second
   2. third
   3. first
   4. fifth
8. The Ganga is the __________ largest river in the world by the amount of water that flows through it.
   1. first
   2. fourth
   3. third
   4. second
9. In which year was river Ganga cleaned the maximum?
   1. 2016-17
   2. 2018-19
   3. 2017-18
   4. 2015-16
10. 147.6 crores were spent on cleaning Ganga in __________.
    1. Uttarakhand
    2. Bihar
    3. Jharkhand
    4. Uttar Pradesh
11. The state Uttarakhand spent less amount in __________ on cleaning the river Ganga.
    1. 2015-16
    2. 2018-19
    3. 2016-17
    4. 2017-18
12. The maximum amount spent in cleaning river Ganga by Bihar was __________.
    1. 262.2 cr
    2. 356.3 cr
    3. 82 cr
    4. 120.2 cr

Answer

1. all of the above
2. all of these.
3. Government of India
4. Both 1 and 3
5. Ganga
6. 10%
7. fifth
8. third
9. 2017-18
10. Uttar Pradesh
11. 2018-19
12. 356.3 cr

Q. On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer the questions that follow :

1. For what purposes is the Ganga water used?
2. Name two pollutants that make river Ganga very dirty.
3. Which two purposes will be served by the programme named “Namami Gange”?
4. Most people in India consider the Ganga as __________.
5. River _________ is a lifeline for millions of Indians.
6. ___________ of world population lives near river Ganga.
7. Ganga is the ___________ most polluted river in the world.
8. Ganga is the ___________ largest river in the world by the amount of water that flows through it.

Answers

1. The Ganga water is used for irrigation, transportation and fishing.
2. Effluents from industries, urban waste from cities and metals discharged from tanneries are the major pollutants that make the river Ganga very dirty.
3. Reduction of pollution and revival of the river Ganga are the two purposes that will be served by the programme named “Namami Gange”.
4. Mother and Goddess.
5. Ganga
6. 10%
7. fifth
8. third