Despite fears that the flow of the Bhagirathi, the main tributary of the Ganga, is falling in volume, the government has said there is no such threat to the river and the "natural' receding of the Gangotri glacier does not require any corrective measures. "Gomukh is the ice cave of Gangotri glacier through which the river Bhagirathi emerges from the glacier. Therefore, the question of Ganga going far away from the main source does not arise,' earth sciences minister Kapil Sibal informed the Parliament. According to Geological Survey of India data, between 1935 and 1996, Gangotri glacier receded at an average 18.80 metres per year. Studies by other institutions show that yearly recession dropped to 17.5 metres during 1971-2004 and further to 12.10 metres in 2004-05. In view of the "rapid melting' of the Himalayan glaciers, the Uttarakhand government recently decided to regulate the flow of tourists to protected areas of the Gangotri National Park, including Gomukh, where only 150 travellers are now allowed daily. It also banned entry of mules and horses to Gangotri, besides raising the tourist entry fee to the area, frequented by thousands of