19th Century

"It is now clear that climatic and environmental disruptions played a major part in the break-up of the Indus civilization. No one can deny anymore that we are now undergoing another major climatic change; a just published study predicts that at least 70 per cent of the volume of Himalayan glaciers in the Everest region may disappear by the end of this century. With human interference (deforestation, excessive damming, etc.) compounding the problem, there have been warnings that Ganga and the Brahmaputra may turn into seasonal rivers even before. This may spell the end of the 3,000-year-old Ganges civilization in its mother-region. We must hope that mitigating steps will be urgently taken to save Ganga from becoming another Sarasvati. The Late Harappans had some time and plenty of space to relocate, fall back on rural lifestyles and adapt themselves to new situations; if Ganga and the Brahmaputra disappear, we may have neither. How will the tens of millions dependent on the Gangetic system survive when Prayag’s triveni sangam consists of three invisible, ‘mythical’ rivers?"