All-female team sets off on 55-day Ganges expedition
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A 55-day expedition to raise awareness of the global water crisis got underway this month in India.
Organised buy Bancroft Arnesen Explore (BAE), this Ganges expedition marks the start of a seven-continent, multi-year expedition series.
Eight women from six continents will trek more than 2,400km along the sacred Indian river, as part of the ‘Access Water’ series. The aim is not only to raise awareness about global water problems, but also to “inspire the future leaders of the world to demand safe and abundant world, starting with access to clean water”.
After the 2015 Ganges expedition, the team plans to visit every continent, ending with a journey to Antarctica.
“We chose the Ganges to begin the Access Water series because the area represents a great example of a deep-rooted dependence on water for human existence,” explained Ann Bancroft, the expedition’s team leader.
“There is a critical need to educate students and local communities about the water crisis that not only affects overpopulated areas like India, but to also connect the same problems to their own backyard.”
The multinational team includes members from the US, Norway, Israel, China, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand and India.
Starting from the source of the river at Goumukh on 17 October, the team will travel along the Ganges over 55 days, passing through Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi and Patna before concluding near Kolkata in early December.
Organisations backing the expedition series include UNESCO and Google.
“There is mythology, history and legend associated with this great river, which has been India’s lifeline. Google believes that all of us need to do our bit to preserve the sanctity of this river and conserve its rich riverine ecosystem,” said Chetan Krishnaswamy, head of public policy for Google India, which is also aiming to help promote the Indian government’s Clean Ganga Project.
“Our dream as educators of connecting with millions of students cannot be achieved without the strong partnerships and shared values to actualise Access Water. Google is powering the stories we discover along the shores of the Ganges to millions of young people,” said Ms Bancroft and fellow team leader, Liv Arnesen.
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