Ganges River
Originating in the Himalayas, the Ganges River is a transboundary river that spans northern India and Bangladesh. Millions of people rely heavily on the Ganges River, and it is also regarded as a holy river by Hindus. Yet, the Ganges River is plagued by severe pollution. According to John and Mukherjee (2021), approximately “4.8 billion liters of sewage from 118 towns and cities flows into the Ganga daily, in addition to garbage and organic waste” (p. 9). The Ganges River is polluted to the extent that the consumption of fish living in the river is considered a health risk.
Sources of pollution in the Ganges River include household waste, industrial waste, hospital waste, and even fertilizers from agriculture, which are all common pollution sources across the world.
A less common source of pollution in the Ganges River is actually related to religious and cultural beliefs of the Ganges River being a sacred and holy place. Firstly, millions of Hindus bathe in the Ganges River, believing that the holy river can cleanse them of sin. Offerings are also made in the form of flowers or food and are deposited into the river. Yet, the majority of such flowers deposited have been treated with chemicals that will leach into the river. Lastly, Hindus consider the Ganges River as “one of the most auspicious places to die and be cremated” (Butler, 2022). Cremated remains or even bodies that are directly wrapped in white muslin—a practice known as Jal Pravah—are deposited into the river and left to flow downstream. With the COVID-19 pandemic, more corpses have been found floating in the river or downstream. Pandey (2021) reports that “hundreds of corpses have been found floating in the river or buried in the sand of its banks”, highlighting the extent of the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
While efforts have been made to clean up the Ganges River, along with many other empty promises, the road to cleaning up the Ganges River remains long and tough. It would require collaborative efforts between the state, businesses, NGOs, and individuals to truly tackle the issue of pollution in the Ganges River.
References
Butler, S. (2022, January 7). The Ganges – river of life, religion and waste. Geographical. https://geographical.co.uk/people/cultures/item/4252-cleaning-up-the-ganges-the-most-polluted-spiritual-river-on-earth
John, A., & Mukherjee, T. (2021, February 18). Can Ganga be saved? What must be done to clean up India’s holy river? CNA. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/cnainsider/can-ganga-ganges-be-saved-what-clean-india-holy-river-pollution-359856
Pandey, G. (2021, May 19). Covid-19: India’s holiest river is swollen with bodies. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-57154564