The Mughals also accepted this special quality of Ganga River and reportedly, Emperor Akbar used to drink either pure Ganga water or water mixed with Ganga water,” said the affidavit submitted by the ministry on 31 May. Ganga river basin sustains around 25% of India’s landmass and supports nearly 50 crore people directly or indirectly. Water ministry cites Mughals in an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court as part of efforts to prevent dams from coming up in the upper reaches of the GangaNew Delhi: Emperor Akbar drank pure Ganga water since the Mughals were aware of its healing effects, the Union water resources ministry said. While the environment ministry claims that all hydropower projects in the upper reaches of Ganga and its tributaries—Mandakini, Bhagirathi and Alaknanda—have environmental clearance, the water resources ministry wants no more of them. It observed that the Ganga water which was famous for its self-purifying properties is now highly polluted due to discharge of untreated municipal and industrial waste and effluents directly into the river.

Source: Mint June 27, 2016 10:01 UTC