Dorzecze Gangesu i Brahmaputry jako region geograficzny. Wybrane problemy

The Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers are amongst the largest in the world. Since the dawn of civilisation they have played a pivotal role in the social and economic life of the countries that they flow through: Nepal, India and Bangladesh. It is there that same of the very first civilisations originated. They owed their existence to the first farmers, for whom settling in a larger group and harvesting together brought only benefits. Even today, most of the local population harvests the land, just like their forefathers did several thousand years before. The edible crops provide a basis of nutrition for the natives and industrial crops serve as major sources of income for these countries. In the Ganges and the Brahmaputra valleys there lie many urban areas, including several with a population that exceeds 10 million. Those include Calcutta - 15.7 million, Delhi 13.2 million, and Dhaka - 12.3 million. The Ganges waters are used for religious and ritual purposes as Hinduism deems the river holy. In addition, it is one of the most polluted rivers in the world, its condition partially being due to ritual ceremonies. The use of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra waters was a cause for many conflicts between India and Bangladesh. Even though a compromise was reached, each of the two countries is still trying to prove that they have more rights to use the priceless waters.