Ganga Anti Plastic Expedition launched by Centre for Global Affairs & Public Policy covering locations in India and Bangladesh

New Delhi, April 25, 2023. The Centre for Global Affairs & Public Policy (CGAPP) has undertaken a comprehensive project aimed at addressing the issues of plastic waste in the Ganga Basin. Titled "Tackling Plastic Pollution in the Ganga Basin", the project comprises a research component, a solution component and an outreach component. The project will be led by Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava, National President of Water Resources Council. The research component seeks to build upon the methodology used in the National Geographic Sea-to-Source Expedition held in 2019, while the solution and outreach components will add to this aspect by looking at scalable solutions, including plastic alternatives and waste management, to address the issue of plastic pollution in the Ganga.

The research will be conducted by an all women team in over 12 locations spread across India and Bangladesh. This includes vital points in the Ganga Basin like Rishikesh, Prayagraj, Varanasi and other locations such as the Sunderbans. Two locations have been earmarked in Bangladesh as well. The solution component includes anti-plastic expos in Rishikesh and Varanasi and the outreach component will involve local communities and civil society organisations.

The project will feature a 220 km river expedition from Prayagraj to Varanasi and a culminating summit in Dhaka at the end of the year. The aim is to initiate measures for effectively countering the danger posed by effluents and microplastics currently choking the Ganga basin, and threatening the aquatic ecosystem and the environment at large.

The first leg of the research was started in Rishikesh on April 24th, 2023 and will end with a two-day expo, beginning April 29, 2023. The “Rishikesh Ganga Anti Plastic Expo” will bring together start-ups, urban local bodies, domain experts, students, local personalities and community representatives as audience and panelists. A roundtable discussion will also be organised to explore solutions that can be deployed to address the problem of plastic pollution in the Ganga.  

The all-women team has 15 members which includes 12 permanent members and 3-4 local representatives from academic institutions. The team members are PhD scholars and graduate students specializing in various disciplines including urban planning, science, engineering, governance and architecture.