- Hong Kong Carbon Reduction Campaign
- Global forest carbon research
- Securing water supply in China's heartland
- Taking direct action
- Saving the Freshwater Gharial in the Ganges
- Cleaning up the Ganges
- Untangling our understanding of lianas and climate change
- The Panama Canal Watershed Experiment
- Protecting the Ganges: Interschool Recycling Workshop
- Cooking on natural gas in the Yangtze
- Tackling illegal deforestation
- Johannesburg's Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit Project
- Baicheng wind farm project
Cleaning up the Ganges
The River Ganges or Ganga is a magnificent holy river held sacred by 800 million people. Over 40 percent of India's population and many species depend on the Ganges for their water, and as a result the river is under extreme stress.
Climate challenge
The dumping of untreated sewage and toxic industrial effluent is killing the river. This is most acute in the city of Kanpur, where 1.3 billion litres of toxic waste and raw sewage flow into the river each day.
Under the HSBC Climate Partnership, WWF India – with the support of local NGOs Kanpur Nagar Nigam and Ecofriends – is piloting sustainable, low cost wastewater treatment to reduce pollution.
Insight and action
In a process known as bioremediation, sewage-eating bacteria are added into open sewers that drain into the river. These micro-organisms return the water to its original condition. By the time the water from the drains reaches the river, it is odourless and clear.
Outcomes
The pilot drain in Kanpur was rendered largely free from odour as observed and confirmed by the local communities within three months of the start of the bioremediation project.
Kanpur's government has invited WWF to prepare a feasibility study for implementing bioremediation on three further drains in the city.
WWF has also been invited to carry out three month pilot projects on drains in the Indian cities of Allahabad and Varanasi. These pilots will be fully funded by the state governments.
WWF has been appointed as one of four technical experts to the team representing Uttar Pradesh in the new Indian National Ganga Authority. This appointment is due entirely to the credibility built up through the HSBC Climate Partnership.
There has been a significant improvement to the quality of the river water in the Ganges since this pilot began. The river is cleaner and instances of diseases have been reduced.
Braj Mohan, Community Leader, Singhpur (pilot site)
The HSBC Climate Partnership is a five-year environmental programme between HSBC, The Climate Group, Earthwatch Institute, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and WWF. It aims to reduce the impact of climate change on people, forests, freshwater and cities and accelerate the adoption of low-carbon policies.
