Ganga (the river Ganges) is not only a sacred river to the Hindus but is also a lifeline to the billions of Indians who live along its course of around 2500 km long journey. Its starts it journey from the western Himalayas Gaumukh (the shape of ice formation is like a cow’s mouth) from the state of Uttarakhand and after travelingg several states of North India end its journey at Gangsagar in South 24Parganas of the state of West Bengal to end to sea.

Although many small rivers assimilated with river Ganges, the six sacred rivers like Alakananda, Dhauliganga, Nandakini, Pindar, Mandakini and Bharirathi were met with her at different locations giving also separate sacred names like Vishnuprayag, Nandaprayag, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, and Devaprayag. Ganga has the seven stream, The seven streams of Ganga are Bhagirathi, Janhvi, Bhilangana, Mandakini, Rishiganga, Saraswati and Alakananda which merge into Ganga at Devaprayag. These five places conjointly called Panch Prayag.

The Ganges is considered as mother and Hindus worship her as Ganga Mata (mother). There is a story in the Indian mythology on how river Ganges was brought to earth from heaven by Dilip’s son Bhagirath after several years of meditation.

This article is not intended to introduce Ganga (the river Ganges) and if I do so will be a stupidity, since entire population of India knows what is Ganga and are well aware from where it begins and end its journey. My purpose of this writing is to how many of us are really concerned about its pollution.

Ganga basin is one of the most fertile and densely populated area in the world and its flows through more than 100 cities and towns across India. Since from the independence of India in 1947 until 1985 no central or local level administration took any measure in stopping polluting it. Only in April 1985 under the Premiership of Late Rajiv Gandhi ‘Ganga Action Plan’ (GAP) was launched. While several million Rupees were spent, but lack of proper supervision and poor coordination among various states and local bodies said programme failed to meet reducing pollution level in the river Ganga and unfortunately said programme declared closed in the year 2000. However, a second phase by the name National Ganga River Basin Authority (NRGBA) has launched on 20th February 2009 with a massive number of funds for achieving the desired goal under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister of India and Chief Minister of various states through which Ganga flows.

In the conclusion it is pertinent to mention, that while many social activists as well as many organizations urging immediate solution of the problem but it cannot be achieved unless a massive public awareness created by the way of mass publicity and take all corrective measures learned and experienced while the first Ganga Action Plan was in operative. We should accept that it is we, our tradition, our wrong beliefs, non-cooperation from the various religious authorities and the industries those were being set-up on the river sides are responsible for this catastrophe. While Varanasi is worshiping Mother Ganga (Ganges) every evening, it is the highest polluting place throughout its 2500 km journey.

When the beaches of Venice started experiencing excessive contamination, local officials suspected a common source: human feces. However, that wasn’t the case. After studying six DNA samples, they also ruled out dog and bird wastes as the cause of the problem. The next step was to make an educated guess as to what was causing the pollution, and by process of elimination, tests pointed a finger at rat and raccoon feces. Case solved? Hardly! Whereas they could have repaired compromised sewer lines, how can you tell a wild creature where to do his duty?

Anyone might conclude that the Department of Health was overjoyed to finally know the reason behind the higher-than-acceptable levels of fecal coliform and enterococcus bacteria. The fact that there had been no rain yet the worst of the pollution had been concentrated near two pipes which were used to drain storm water into the gulf had them stymied. Then they discovered that the water flow into the area was caused by homeowners watering their lawns since there was no rain. This clean water was particularly appealing to thirsty wildlife who congregated at the mouth of these pipes in order to drink during dry periods of time.

The good news here was the fact that human swimmers are less likely to contract diseases from animal feces. However, the problem in general wasn’t good, and engineers had to come up with ways to cut down on the contamination. A common misconception is that screens can be used to stop wildlife getting into pipes such as these. True, it’s a solution that could work except for the fact that screens clog with debris which, during heavy rainfall, could cause the sewers to back up.

The solution that seems to be working best so far is keeping watch of the amounts of contamination in these areas. If a problem build-up of bacteria is found, city workers can be assigned the task of cleaning out the pipes. Unfortunately, operating this aggressive maintenance procedure has escalated costs to unacceptable levels. A permanent fix would be far less costly, that is provided a viable one can be found.

Starting in August, the city plans to try revamping the way the sewer system runs in order to stop the accumulation of bacteria. By rerouting two of the worst water runs so as to detour them through a shallow swale, the water will percolate into the sand, the ultraviolet rays of the sun will help to break down the colonies of bacteria. Two other water systems will be connected to vaults where the water will be filtered and UV treated before being pumped offshore.

You can make excellent money salvaging materials that other consider useless and want to get rid of. Sometimes you may be asked to pay a small fee to collect the material, other times you can get it for free and occasionally you will actually get paid to haul it away. The old saying “One man’s trash is another mans treasure” couldn’t be more true today. We live in a throw away world where it is more acceptable to buy something new then fix up something that still has much use and value left in it.

As more and more people inhabit onto this already crowded planet and as the resources we use each and everyday began to become more scarce those who know how to collect and recycle materials will be able to make a very good living. Not only will you be doing something that is good for the environment and future generations but you can be your own boss at the same time. It is the best of both worlds.

But it takes some knowledge and understanding about how the recycling business works to make money at it. By avoiding the common mistake most beginners make you can be putting cash into your pocket quickly and grow your business into a full time income that provides you with everything you need.

Here are a few pointers to get you started. These will not teach you everything you need to know but will get you pointed in the right direction. Visit the link at the bottom of the page for a more detailed plan about how to make some serious money with your own recycling and salvage business.

Understand what are the most valuable things to look for. Sure you can collect aluminum cans and turn them in for a few pennies a pound. But the real money is made in finding old lumber, auto parts, brass and copper fittings, electric motors and many other things that you can recycle or sell for very good money.

Offer to clean up or tear down old buildings and haul away the “junk”. You don’t necessarily have to do this for free. Many times you will be able to get a small fee for doing this work as long as you charge less than the more expensive demolition companies are charging.

Make connections with local small business’s and offer you services to them. Also make sure to ask them what they need. At times you may be able to supply them with items and make a tidy profit on the side.

These are just a few tips to get you started. Much more information on how to make very good money in the salvage and recycling business can be found at Recycling Secrets

The worst part about climate change is that it affects even those who are just innocent bystanders when it comes to degradation of the environment. Think about it: what do polar bears have to do with carbon emissions? Yet, when it comes to suffering the consequences of global warming and climate change, polar bears are on top of the list. Human beings all over the world are experiencing the effects of a changing climate.

There are worries that in some years’ time, the earth will no longer be able to support human habitation, thanks to the damage that has been done to the environment. What most people forget, however, is that already, there are some inhabitants of the planet going through the agony of losing their habitats and their ability to feed. These are the unlucky animals that have found themselves at the receiving end of climate change.

But, what does global warming have to do with animals, you may ask? The fact that global temperatures have risen and continue to rise means that polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate. If you remember correctly, polar bears, seals and penguins live in the Arctic. If the polar ice caps are melting, it means these animals are losing their habitats. Since these animals cannot adapt to higher temperatures, losing their natural habitats means they will also lose their lives. It is estimated that in the near future, if nothing is done to remedy the climate change crisis, a lot of animal species will be facing extinction. It will be unfortunate if the earth loses these beautiful creatures on account of irresponsible human activity.

It is not just the polar bears and the seals that are feeling the threat to their natural environment. When human beings embark on the irresponsible act of deforestation, it destroys the natural habitat of animals such as birds and primates. Deforestation causes global warming, which now causes harmful effects to the very same animals whose habitat was destroyed.

Climate change also means the animals have to change their mating habits in order to be in sync with the climatic seasons. By extension, it also means that these animals have to migrate further and further away from the equator in search of more favorable conditions. As climate change occurs, birds are migrating later and later in the season.

When it comes to the animals that live in water, climate change has not shown any boundaries either. Underwater animals such as fish have global warming to blame for the changes that are taking place in their natural environment. With the oceans getting warmer and warmer, the coral reefs and the natural habitat of the fish is facing destruction. Also, with rising levels of carbon dioxide, there is increased acidity and this poses a direct threat to the fish. The acidity also damages the food chain and leads to death of fish.

It is unfortunate that animals have to suffer a fate that is not their making. Human beings should take considerable measures to ensure that the animal kingdom is not wiped out by climate change.

The Earth is our home. It carries us on its back, provides us with food, shelter, and clothing, which are our most basic needs. It goes even further to provide us with other resources such as metals for our machines and tools and fuels for our energy.

We have such amazing intellectual gifts that we are able to harness nearly everything the Earth has to offer and use it to our benefit. The Earth, all this while, sees us as her child, and like any mother, expects no thanks from us.

For most of history, we have held the Earth in much reverence. Ancient cultures held the Earth in very high esteem for the bounties which it provided, and were very mindful of wasting and harming the Earth.

We have reached a stage now where some of us seem to have adapted the policy of “all take and no give.” Our current consumption of the Earth’s resources is rather alarming.

To give you an idea, let’s go back 100,000,000 years. Plankton and other life-forms that sunk into the sea bed back then are acted upon by pressure and temperature, and gradually begin to change into fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas. After undergoing the processes of 100,000,000 years, come back to the present day, where millions of barrels of oil are being consumed without second thought. Oil was only discovered in the late 19th/early 20th century. Some predictions state that the world’s oil supply will only last another 50 years. Imagine: what took 100,000,000 years to create will probably be used up in only 150 years! In percentage terms, that’s less than.002% of the entire time it took!

Thankfully, there is a growing awareness about the environment and protecting it today. Many governments are mandating green initiatives, and alternative energy sources are being explored. We must make sure that our future generations are also able to enjoy the bounties of the Earth as we do today.

It is important that the effort start from the home. We cannot continue to wait for government mandates to pass through bureaucracy. Time is running out. Imagine, there are about 300,000,000 people in the United States alone. If each one of those people takes even a small step, collectively, we will be making a great difference. It is with this unity and awareness that we can successfully bring about the needed change.