The River of Life, Death, Livelihood and Pilgrimage: An Assessment of the Ganga in Varanasi City, Uttar Pradesh (India)

Abstract

The dynamics of change and time rarely shake the mother river's rich heritage, resilient capability and capacity since immemorial times. However, life on land and below water in Varanasi is increasingly under threat due to several anthropogenic activities, particularly sewage discharge. These activities are negatively affecting the bacteriophage cleaning capacity of the Ganga River. The primary objective of the study is to identify and analyse livelihood security, psychological wellbeing and indigenous knowledge in enhancing the resilience of the ghats from social, political and economic dimensions. A household survey was conducted in Ghats of Varanasi district, Uttar Pradesh. Both primary and secondary data were used, and ethnographic methods were employed to achieve the research objects. The findings indicate that the livelihood security of people is under serious threat due to several factors, notably the declining level of the Ganga water level along the ghats of Varanasi. Although the recent coronavirus pandemic provided temporary relief to the river, significant improvements were observed in water quality, flow and aquatic flora and fauna.