Source of Ganga Gaumukh or Mansarovar?

Dehradun, Oct 29: It has been generally perceived that Gaumukh is the source of the Ganga, but with some foreign scientists having stated that Mansarovar is the source of the river, Union minister Uma Bharti has asked scientists of the Roorkee-based tiol Institute of Hydrology to do some research on the subject.

According to reports the Union minister, who was in the institute, told the scientists present that there has been no controversy on Gaumukh being the source of the Ganga, but with some foreign scientists claiming that Mansarovar is the source of the river, there was need to do some serious thinking and research in the matter.

Directing the scientists that the matter of the source of the Ganga be taken up afresh, she said that it was a serious issue and work on it should be started as soon as possible, "after all there should be some basis on which the foreign scientists had claimed that Mansarovar is the source of the river", the Hill Post reported.

Uma Bharti said that as the tiol Institute of Hydrology was taking up various issues relating to the Ganga, it had been decided that a Centre for Ganga should also be opened at Roorkee, which will work under the supervision of the tiol Institute of Hydrology, adding that work on it had already started.