Page 4 - BOAT BOOK PG 1-20

The other tributaries that join the Ganges as it moves in easterly direction are Tamsa or Tons,
Gomati, Ghaghara (largest tributary in terms of water discharge), Son, Gandak, Punpun,
Damodar, Kosi. At Farakka in West Bengal, it branches into distributary – Bhagirathi-Hooghly,
through a feeder canal, while the main river Ganga enters Bangladesh, to eventually empty into
the Bay of Bengal at Ganges Delta. In Bangladesh, the name of the main branch of Ganga
changes to Padma and is fed by Jamuna, a distributary of Brahmaputra.

From Farakka to Katwa, it is called Bhagirathi and then name changes to Hooghly at the
confluence of Bhagirathi and Ajay at Katwa in West Bengal. The Hooghly River empties into the
Bay of Bengal near Sagar Islands, also referred as Ganga Sagar.

Human Life

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The recorded human life around Ganga started to take firm shape in the 2 millennium BC,
during the Late Harrappan period when people started moving eastward from the Indus. This
marks the shift of Indian civilization from the Indus basin to the Ganga basin. The Gangetic
plains subsequently became the center of power, from the Maurya Empire till date.

Trade

It was through the Hooghly-Baghirathi river system that the East India Company entered Bengal
to establish their trade. Traders from France, Netherlands and Portugal also established their
trade settlements on the banks of this river.

National Waterway

In October 1986, the Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) – Haldia (West Bengal) stretch of the Ganga was
declared as Waterway. The National Waterway 1 (NW-1) across Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly
Rivers cover a distance of 1620 km (874 nm). In Aug 2016, foundation stone was laid for
Waterway Terminal at Varanasi and a trial run of the two vessels was undertaken from Varanasi
to Haldia. The NW-1 is being managed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). The
NW-1 route has 18 floating terminals and 2 fixed RCC jetties. On 12 Nov 2018, Honorable Prime
Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the multimodal terminal in Varanasi. The NW-1 is
being developed with major financial assistance from the World Bank.

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