Transcript Ganga River Basin – An Ecosystem Services

Workshop on
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Le Meridien Hotel
New Delhi
Environmental Flows for
Strategic Planning for the Ganga Basin
Session 3: Ganga River Basin – Values and
Environmental Flows
An Ecosystem Services Perspective
Le-Meridian, New Delhi
February 5, 2015
Environmental Flows for Strategic Planning
For the Ganga Basin
Dr Vinod Tare
IIT Kanpur
Ganga River Basin Management Plan
GRBMP
Le-Meridian, New Delhi
February 5, 2015
Environmental Flows for Strategic Planning
For the Ganga Basin
Dr Vinod Tare
IIT Kanpur
Ecosystem Services
1. Provisioning Services or Products which are
visible and tradable items such as food, freshwater, fiber
and energy;
2. Regulating Services e.g. flood attenuation,
groundwater recharge, ingress of sea, prevention of salt
water intrusion;
3. Supporting Services e.g. nutrient recycling, soil
formation, biodiversity maintenance; and
4. Cultural Services e.g. recreation, spiritual
fulfillment
Le-Meridian, New Delhi
February 5, 2015
Environmental Flows for Strategic Planning
For the Ganga Basin
Dr Vinod Tare
IIT Kanpur
Most Sensitive Sectors
Energy
Water Supply,
Sanitation &
Industrial Pollution
River Health
 Eco-Hydrology
 Ecology - Biotic
 Ecology – Abiotic
 Hydrology
 Water Quality and Pollution
 Sediment
 Socio-Cultural
 Socio-Economic
 Eco System Services – Use and Non Use
or Tangible and In-Tangible
Biodiversity of River Ganga
Synthesizes three major eco-regions of India
situated along different climatic gradients
 the Himalayan mountainous region in the
upper reach,
 the Gangetic plains in the middle reach, and
 the estuarine region (including the HooghlyMatlah delta) in the lower reach
Le-Meridian, New Delhi
February 5, 2015
Environmental Flows for Strategic Planning
For the Ganga Basin
Dr Vinod Tare
IIT Kanpur
Indicative Biological Profile of
Different Stretches of River Ganga
Fish
Carps/ Cat
Families/ RET fishes / All
species
Fish taxa
River
stretch
Algal ratio
D* G* BG*
Specific
Zoobenthos
Upper Ganga
UG1
(Gangotri to
Gangnani)
100:6:0
(33, 2, 0)
Total: 36
Other: 1
Plecoptera,
Tricoptera,
Ephemeroptera,
Diptera
/ 
UG2
(Gangnani to
Devprayag)
100:17:5
(123, 21, 6)
Total: 151
Other: 1
Plecoptera,
Tricoptera,
Ephemeroptera,
Diptera,
Coleoptera
4/ 14
(23/6/35) Snow Trout
(Schizothorax
richardsonii)
UG3
(Devprayag to
Haridwar)
100:14:13
(95, 13, 12)
Total: 123
Other: 3
Tricoptera,
Ephemeroptera,
Diptera,
Odonata
12/ 8
(25/7/42) GoldenMahseer
No
(Tor putitora)
Vertebrates

Characteristic
fish species
Higher
Vertebrates

No
Vertebrates
No
Vertebrates
Indicative Biological Profile of
Different Stretches of River Ganga
River
stretch
Algal ratio
D* G* BG*
Specific
Zoobenthos
Middle Ganga
MG1-MG3
(Haridwar to
Fatehgarh)
100:36:15
(100,36, 15)
Total: 154
Other: 3
Tricoptera,
Ephemeroptera,
Diptera,
Odonata
Fish
Carps/ Cat
Characteristic
Families/ RET fishes / All
fish species
species
Fish taxa
25/ 15
(46/14/109) IMC, Catfishes
Higher
Vertebrates
Turtles,
Ghariyals,
Gangetic
Dolphins
100:67:36 Tricoptera,
MG4-MG5 (149, 100, 54) Coleoptera
(Fatehgarh to
Total: 322
Varanasi)
Other: 119
24/ 12
(34/28/92) IMC, Catfishes
Gangetic
Dolphins,
Turtles
100:118: 105
(81, 96, 85)
Lower Ganga
Total: 285
LGA
Other: 23
(Varanasi- to
Farakka)
35/ 16
(41/31/121) IMC, Catfishes
Dolphins,
Turtles
Tricoptera,
Ephemeroptera,
Diptera,
Coleoptera,
Annelids,
Mollusca
Indicative Biological Profile of
Different Stretches of River Ganga
River
stretch
LGB
Farakka to
Ganga Sagar)
Algal ratio
D* G* BG*
100:161: 220
(127, 205, 279)
Total: 652
Other: 41
Specific
Zoobenthos
Thysanura,
Collembola,
Annelids,
Mollusca,
Echinoderms
Fish
Families/
RET
species
37/ 12
Carps/ Cat
fishes / All
Fish taxa
Characteristic
fish species
Higher
vertebrates
(16/27/172)
IMC,
Catfishes,
Hilsa,
Polynems
paradiseus,
Liza parsia,
Harpodon
neherus
Turtles,
Ghariyals,
Gangetic
Dolphins,
Porpoises,
Crocodiles
: A couple of brown trout Salmo trutta fario were cited by Nautiyal (2007);
D* G* BG*= Diatoms, Green algae, Blue green algae;
RET= Rare, Endangered, Threatened;
IMC= Indian major carps; CF= Cat fishes
Threats to Biodiversity of River Ganga
 Habitat Fragmentation
 Habitat Shrinkage
 Habitat Alterations
 Habitat Pollution
 Habitat Invasion by Alien Species
 Habitat Encroachment
 Habitat Disturbances
 Habitat Malnutrition
Le-Meridian, New Delhi
February 5, 2015
Environmental Flows for Strategic Planning
For the Ganga Basin
Dr Vinod Tare
IIT Kanpur
Ecosystem Services: Losses
Decline of Fish Catch per km at Allahabad between 1950 to 2010
1600
1400
1343.64
1200
Catch/Km (Kg)
1168.03
1000
800
664.88
600
361.5
529.7
400
332.57
200
0
1940
Le-Meridian, New Delhi
February 5, 2015
1950
1960
1970
1980
Decades
1990
300
2000
Environmental Flows for Strategic Planning
For the Ganga Basin
2010
2020
Dr Vinod Tare
IIT Kanpur
Typical 10 Daily Hydrograph
Basis
Minimum Ecological
Requirement as %
of Virgin Flows
Wet Period
Dry Period
Total
32.59
32.96
32.67
Normalized Discharge(as % of
Max 10-daily Virgin Flow)
120
Normalized Discharge(as % of Max
10-daily Virgin Flow)
100
80
Average Virgin Flow
90% Dependable Flow
Environmental Flows
Minimum Ecological Requirement
E-Flows as
% of
Average
Virgin Flow
46.13
53.12
47.54
E-Flows as % of 90
% Dependable
Flows
61.04
67.23
62.29
60
40
20
0
Average Virgin Flow
24
21
18
15
12
9
6
3
0
90% Dependable Flow
Environmental Flows
River Health
Marginal
Excellent
to
Very
Goodto
Poor
or
Very
Good
to
Marginal
Dead
E-Flows and River Health
 Scientific and Social Aspect or Only Scientific
 E-Flows Only for Hydropower and not for
domestic, industrial and agriculture
 Highly Modified and Near Pristine
 Perennial and Seasonal Rivers
 Perennial to Seasonal Rivers
 Seasonal to Perennial Rivers
Le-Meridian, New Delhi
February 5, 2015
Environmental Flows for Strategic Planning
For the Ganga Basin
Dr Vinod Tare
IIT Kanpur
Thank You !
Le-Meridian, New Delhi
February 5, 2015
Environmental Flows for Strategic Planning
For the Ganga Basin
Dr Vinod Tare
IIT Kanpur