Prehistory and Early History

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Dyson
Keyword(s):  
Indian Subcontinent ◽  
Population Expansion ◽  
Ganges River ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Historical Times ◽  
City State ◽  
Spread Of Agriculture ◽  
The Ganges ◽  
Ganges River Basin

This chapter discusses the population of the Indus valley civilization and the possible reasons for its decline. It considers the ingress of Indo-Aryan influences into the north of the Indian subcontinent, and the opening-up of the Ganges river basin. Population expansion in the basin was accompanied by the spread of agriculture, the emergence of city-state ‘kingdoms’ and, eventually, establishment of the Mauryan ‘Empire’ centred on Pataliputra (now modern-day Patna). The chapter examines what linguistic and genetic evidence can tell us about India’s people in early historical times. It discusses the tendency of influences to enter through the north-west, and the development of the system of coastal settlements. The chapter concludes by considering the general course of the population in the period to c.200 BCE—by which time a majority of the subcontinent’s perhaps 15–30 million people lived in the Ganges basin.

INCOSE Practitioners Challenge 2019: Clean Water and Sanitation in the Ganges River Basin

Insight ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 28-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar El‐Haloush ◽  
Stephen Powley ◽  
Yash Kaushik ◽  
David Flanigan ◽  
Joseph Sitomer
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Clean Water ◽  
Ganges River ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
The Ganges ◽  
Ganges River Basin

scholarly journals Hydro-geochemical evaluation of groundwater for irrigation in the Ganges river basin areas of Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Shajedul Islam ◽  
Md. Golam Mostafa
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Total Hardness ◽  
Water Type ◽  
Irrigation Water Quality ◽  
Ganges River ◽  
The Ganges ◽  
Ganges River Basin

Abstract Groundwater is a vital source of irrigation water, and it provides over 80% of the irrigated water supply in Bangladesh. The study aimed to assess the status of irrigation water of the Ganges river basin areas in the middle-west part of Bangladesh through the hydrogeochemical characterization and classification of groundwater. The study parameters were pH, EC, TDS, Ca2+, Mg2+, total hardness, Na+, K+, B, Cl−, HCO3 −, SO 42−, NO3 −, and PO43− along with irrigation water quality index (IWQindex), Na%, soluble sodium percentage, sodium adsorption ratio, residual sodium bicarbonate, magnesium adsorption ratio, permeability index, and Kelley’s ratio. The results showed that most of the water samples were acidic in the pre-monsoon and alkaline in the post-monsoon seasons, and the water type was Ca-HCO3. The significant geochemical process in the area determined was calcite and dolomite mineral dissolution, and there was no active cation exchange, and silicate weathering occurred. The statistical analyses showed that both the geogenic and anthropogenic sources were controlling the chemistry of the groundwater aquifers. Concerning irrigation water quality, the results revealed that all the quality parameters and IWQindex (32.04 to 45.39) were within the safety ranges, except for the EC and total hardness. The study results would be useful for future groundwater monitoring and management of the Ganges basin areas of Bangladesh part.

scholarly journals Reviving the Ganges Water Machine: why?

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 8727-8759 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. A. Amarasinghe ◽  
L. Mutuwatte ◽  
L. Surinaidu ◽  
S. Anand ◽  
S. K. Jain
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Monsoon Season ◽  
Subsurface Water ◽  
Ganges River ◽  
Hot Weather ◽  
The Ganges ◽  
Ganges River Basin

Abstract. The Ganges River Basin may have a major pending water crisis. Although the basin has abundant surface water and groundwater resources, the seasonal monsoon causes a mismatch between supply and demand as well as flooding. Water availability and flood potential is high during the 3–4 months of the monsoon season. Yet, the highest demands occur during the 8–9 months of the non-monsoon period. Addressing this mismatch requires substantial additional storage for both flood reduction and improvements in water supply. Due to hydrogeological, environmental, and social constraints, expansion of surface storage in the Ganges River Basin is problematic. A range of interventions that focus more on the use of subsurface storage (SSS), and on the acceleration of surface–subsurface water exchange, have long been known as the "Ganges Water Machine". One approach for providing such SSS is through additional pumping prior to the onset of the monsoon season. An important necessary condition for creating such SSS is the degree of unmet water demand. This paper highlights that an unmet water demand ranging from 59 to 119 Bm3 exists under two different irrigation water use scenarios: (i) to increase Rabi and hot weather season irrigation to the entire irrigable area, and (ii) to provide Rabi and hot weather season irrigation to the entire cropped area. This paper shows that SSS can enhance water supply, and provide benefits for irrigation and other water use sectors. In addition, it can buffer the inherent variability in water supply and mitigate extreme flooding, especially in the downstream parts of the basin. It can also increase river flow during low-flow months via baseflow or enable the re-allocation of irrigation canal water. Importantly, SSS can mitigate the negative effects of both flooding and water scarcity in the same year, which often affects the most vulnerable segments of society – women and children, the poor and other disadvantaged social groups.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in river and ground/drinking water of the Ganges River basin: Emissions and implications for human exposure

2016 ◽  
Vol 208 ◽  
pp. 704-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brij Mohan Sharma ◽  
Girija K. Bharat ◽  
Shresth Tayal ◽  
Thorjørn Larssen ◽  
Jitka Bečanová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Human Exposure ◽  
Perfluoroalkyl Substances ◽  
Ganges River ◽  
The Ganges ◽  
Ganges River Basin

Freshwater, climate change and adaptation in the Ganges River Basin

Water Policy ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather R. Hosterman ◽  
Peter G. McCornick ◽  
Elizabeth J. Kistin ◽  
Bharat Sharma ◽  
Luna Bharati
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Ganges River ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
The Ganges ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Ganges River Basin ◽  
Growth Economic

Climate change is one of the drivers of change in the Ganges River Basin, together with population growth, economic development and water management practices. These changing circumstances have a significant impact on key social and economic sectors of the basin, largely through changes in water quantity, quality and timing of availability. This paper evaluates the impact of water on changing circumstances in three sectors of the Ganges Basin – agriculture, ecosystems and energy. Given the inherent interconnectedness of these core sectors and the cross-cutting impact of changing circumstances on water resources, we argue that adaptation should not be viewed as a separate initiative, but rather as a goal and perspective incorporated into every level of planning and decision making. Adaptation to changing circumstances will need to be closely linked to water resource management and will require significant collaboration across the sectors.

scholarly journals Model to assess the impacts of external drivers on the hydrology of the Ganges River Basin

2014 ◽  
Vol 364 ◽  
pp. 76-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Muthuwatta ◽  
A. Sood ◽  
B. Sharma
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Baseline Period ◽  
Middle Part ◽  
Water Yield ◽  
Ganges River ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Ganges ◽  
Ganges River Basin

Abstract. Impact of climate change on the hydrology of the Ganges River Basin (GRB) is simulated by using a hydrological model – Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Climate data from the GCM, Hadley Centre Coupled Model, version 3 (HadCM3) was downscaled with PRECIS for the GRB under A1B Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES) scenarios. The annual average precipitation will increase by 2.2% and 14.1% by 2030 and 2050, respectively, compared to the baseline period (1981–2010). Spatial distribution of the future precipitation shows that in the substantial areas of the middle part of the GRB, the annual precipitation in 2030 and 2050 will be reduced compared to the baseline period. Simulations indicate that in 2050 the total groundwater recharge would increase by 12%, while the increase of evapotranspiration will be about 10% compared to the baseline period. The water yield is also expected to increase in the future (up to 40% by 2050 compared to baseline), especially during the wetter months. The model setup is available for free from IWMI’s modelling inventory.

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