Ganga faces mounting plastic pollution threat, warns Sikkim Manipal University–IIT Kharagpur study

The Ganga, revered as India’s lifeline and sustaining nearly 655 million people, is staring at a plastic pollution crisis of alarming proportions. A joint study by Sikkim Manipal University (SMU) and IIT Kharagpur, published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin, warns that if current waste management practices continue, the river could carry up to 685 tonnes of plastic every day by 2061 — nearly 70 truckloads dumped into its waters daily.

The research, led by Dr. Hari Bhakta Sharma of SMU and Dr. Brajesh K. Dubey and Shaivya Anand of IIT Kharagpur, used a novel town-level modeling system to trace the journey of plastics from streets, drains, and dumps into the Ganga. The model drew from population data, waste generation rates, plastic proportions in municipal waste, and projected growth across 92 towns within 20 km of the river, spanning Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.

At present, the study reveals that nearly 820 tonnes of plastic waste are mismanaged daily along the Ganga’s course, with about 330 tonnes already entering the river. If unchecked, this could double by 2061. The findings were further validated through the National Geographic “River to Sea” project, which tracked plastics from the Ganga’s upper reaches to the Bay of Bengal.

Yet, amid grim statistics, the researchers see a way forward. With improved waste collection, recycling, and treatment, mismanaged plastics could be reduced by over 80 per cent, cutting daily leakage into the Ganga to between 82 and 165 tonnes.

The study stresses that the problem is not merely one of population pressure, but of open dumping, poor collection systems, and unmonitored drains acting as direct channels into the river. Solutions, it suggests, must combine infrastructure upgrades, behavioural change, and robust policy measures. Key strategies include Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), deposit–refund systems, sustainable packaging, and chemical recycling, while also integrating India’s informal waste-picking sector into formal waste management systems.

“With India’s rising incomes and the momentum of the Swachh Bharat Mission, this vision is both urgent and achievable,” said Dr. Sharma. He noted that government programmes and municipal initiatives have begun addressing the issue, but stronger urgency and consistency are critical.