RISHIKESH AREA , UTTARAKHAND – POSITIVE TRANSITION CONDITIONS

We believe the conditions in the area Rishikesh – Roorkee – Haridwar are very good for creating a transition in use and management of the water of the Ganga and to help speed up the Governmental water and waste strategies and programs. Some facts:

• the Ganga upstream of Rishikesh is moderately polluted and improvements are feasible. Heavily contaminating industries are not present in the area, whereas industrial areas starts downstream near Roorkee – Haridwar
• in Uttarakhand a lot of the traditional rain water harvesting systems like gul, naula, dhara and khal, which are used for drinking and other domestic purposes as well as for irrigation, are still active and available and could form an important basis for sustainable water solutions
• the social and cultural conditions in the area and the region are such that improvements are likely to be adopted and maintained by the local communities and businesses
• the upstream area above Rishiksh is scattered with numerous small villages and settlements and one larger village Uttarakshi (15.000 inhabitants near the glaciers) which are in connection with the Ganga
• the rail-infra starts and ends in the city of Rishikesh. Rishikesh – Roorkee and Hardiwar are conveniently located with respect to the airport of Dehradun. The improvement of roads along the Ganga is currently under execution
• a clean Ganga for its first 225 km has impact on the area itself, is relevant for the downstream areas and should act as the start of a ‘clean water front’ moving downstream the Ganga
• Rishikesh + Roorkee + Haridwar- together have the potential to establish The Centre of Expertise & Entrepreneurship with Dutch partners. The area has sufficient critical mass in terms of communities, businesses, research institutes and governmental presence to carry on with the initiatives taken and to secure the sustainability of the interventions and facilities

 

NEGATIVE CONDITIONS

Waterstress in the area consists of:

• seasonal flooding of the Ganga poses a serious safety risk
• drinking water utilities have limited supply, storage capacity are deteriorating
• poor sanitation causes health problems
• solid waste enters into the Ganga and waste water discharges are generally without treatment
• pilgrims, tourists massive inflow of visitors cause enormous volumes of waste and waste water

 

Rishikesh located at 225 km distance of the source of the Ganga in the State of Uttarakhand – above the cities Roorkee and Haridwar – surrounded by the Himalaya Mountains.

Rishikesh is renowned as a centre for studying yoga and meditation. Temples and ashrams (centres for spiritual studies) line the eastern bank around Swarg Ashram. Tourism brings the most important income.