Environmental Flow Assessment of River Ganga - Importance of Habitat Analysis as a Means to Understand Hydrodynamic Imperatives for a Sustainable Ganga Biodiversity

Abstract

Environmental-flow (e-flow) assessment is still at a rudimentary level in India. Among such assessment studies that have been undertaken for the Ganga River Basin, a large fraction is based on the use of simple, less robust methods where ecology has not received due attention. Owing to the ecological importance of the river, we propose the use of habitat analysis methods for assessing e-flows. Studies incorporating knowledge of river hydrology and hydrodynamic transport phenomena coupled with a knowledge of ecological preferences of indigenous species can provide robust and more realistic solutions. Limitations and difficulties in using these methodologies need to be documented and, hopefully, with their resolution.