The River Ganga (Ganges) is the lifeblood of India The river is fed by the Gangotri glacier at the foothills of the Himalayas and flows for 2,510 km. Along its entire length, communities rely on the Ganga's waters for drinking, bathing, agriculture, and ritual. The river not zonly holds great religious significance but also represents enormous cultural, ecological, and economic value to India and the world.

Unfortunately, the health of the Ganga is being assaulted on a number of levels. Not only is it being subjected to overwhelming human and industrial pollution, but it is now also being threatened by the construction of massive dams. These dams are effectively throttling the Ganga at its very source, in some spots they are slowing the flow of this mighty river to a mere trickle. Already, the World Wildlife Foundation has declared the Ganges to be one of the 'top ten rivers at risk' in the world. Worse, in 2007, the UN Climate Report indicates that the glaciers feeding the Ganga may disappear by 2030. In addition to affecting the flow of the Ganga, the process of building dams involves a great deal of destruction to local ecosystems through blasting, drilling, deforestation and submergence. This construction threatens to displace both wildlife and local populations.

Dr. G.D. Agarwal, prominent environmental scientist and ex-IIT professor has decided to take a stand to protect the Ganga. Beginning June 13, Dr. Agarwal will be on a fast until death to protest the building of these dams in the Upper Ganges - he is committed to saving the Ganges at any cost. He is demanding that the stretch between Gomukh, the source of the river in the Himalayas, and Uttarkashi, in Uttarakhand, must remain untouched by human intervention. We are calling upon the international community to support Dr. Agarwal and join the fight to save the Ganga. Please explore this site to see how you can get involved and join the movement to save the Ganga.