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In the Uttarakhand Himalayas where glacial water flowing from a cave at Gaumukh, is the origin of the Bhagirathi  river. Twenty-three km. from Gaumukh, the river reaches Gangotri, the first town on its path.

A 34-year-old ascetic, Swami Nigamananda , died here after fasting for two and a half months to save the river Ganga from pollution. Nigamananda died on June 14, 2011 at the same hospital where Ramdev was being treated until his discharge on June 14,2011. "The saint was fasting for the Ganga since the last many days. He laid down his life for the Ganga. I pay my tribute to Swami Nigamananda," Ramdev told reporters.

One-third of India’s 1.2 billion people live along the banks of the 1,560 -mile- long river, many of them relying on it for drinking, cooking and washing. Millions more visit for ritual baths to cleanse themselves of sin. But untreated sewage, agricultural runoff and industrial waste have fouled its waters for decades, and hydroelectric projects and dams threaten to choke off its waters in spots.

A  77-year-old Prof GD Agrawal, who has been on fast-unto-death in Haridwar since July 20, 2010  in protest against the hydropower project on Bhagirathi,