Event Title
Cleaning the Ganges River
Location
CSU 203
Start Date
16-4-2013 9:00 AM
End Date
16-4-2013 10:00 AM
Student's Major
English
Student's College
Arts and Humanities
Mentor's Name
Mary Susan Johnston
Mentor's Department
English
Mentor's College
Arts and Humanities
Description
Last semester I took a course on Indian American women writers. In order to understand many of the stories properly, I had to “think like a Hindu.” I choose to do a project at the end of the semester about the Ganges River, which flows across northern India. Hindus believe that the Ganges is a goddess who is revered for her cleansing powers. Unfortunately, the Ganges is also an ailing river that is seriously threatened by a multitude of pollutants and the increasing global temperature. Most of the 400 million people who live along the Ganges River and whose livelihood depends on the Ganges are Hindu. While researching my project about the perils of the river, it became impossible to ignore the conflict between environmental issues and religion. I read articles and books to research the different influences affecting the river, particularly matters that were cited in the 1980 Ganga Action Plan. The Ganga Action Plan established the National Ganga River Basin Authority to address the hazards. I concluded that the efforts of the Ganga Action Plan did not meet expectations and the lack of religious consideration given to the project contributed to its failure.
Cleaning the Ganges River
CSU 203
Last semester I took a course on Indian American women writers. In order to understand many of the stories properly, I had to “think like a Hindu.” I choose to do a project at the end of the semester about the Ganges River, which flows across northern India. Hindus believe that the Ganges is a goddess who is revered for her cleansing powers. Unfortunately, the Ganges is also an ailing river that is seriously threatened by a multitude of pollutants and the increasing global temperature. Most of the 400 million people who live along the Ganges River and whose livelihood depends on the Ganges are Hindu. While researching my project about the perils of the river, it became impossible to ignore the conflict between environmental issues and religion. I read articles and books to research the different influences affecting the river, particularly matters that were cited in the 1980 Ganga Action Plan. The Ganga Action Plan established the National Ganga River Basin Authority to address the hazards. I concluded that the efforts of the Ganga Action Plan did not meet expectations and the lack of religious consideration given to the project contributed to its failure.
Recommended Citation
Bluth, Caroline. "Cleaning the Ganges River." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 16, 2013.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2013/oral-session-02/3
