All colors of dirt: how Indians kill the sacred river Ganges

Among the slopes of the Himalayas, where the great river Ganges originates, its waters are as pure as the tears of a baby. But the further the stream moves away from the source, the more it resembles a gutter. A billion Hindus consider the river sacred, but this does not prevent them from clogging it day after day. Industrial enterprises, of course, also make their contribution.

We propose to follow how the water turns from clear to cloudy brown as the Ganges approaches its mouth near the city of Calcutta.

The confluence of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers, tributaries of the Ganges. Here, in fact, begins the third most full-flowing river of the planet. As you can see, the water is very clean.

The Ganges in Hindu mythology is a heavenly river that descended to earth. Therefore, on its banks, churchmen hold many sacred ceremonies.

At the source of the Ganges is the city of Devaprayag — a place of pilgrimage for Hinduism and one of the five "sacred mergers". The photo shows 19-year-old Lokesh Sharma, a fourth-generation priest.

Evening prayer in Haridwar. The water is not so clean anymore. Thousands of Hindus plunge into the river every day, believing that it frees them from their sins.

Statues of the gods are also dipped in the water. Some of them stay there for some reason.

In industrial Kanpur, the river turns dark grey. And still the water is used for bathing and irrigation of agricultural crops. And the poor also drink it and wash their clothes here. Bathing in the Ganges leads to diseases such as dysentery, cholera and severe diarrhea, which is one of the main causes of child mortality in these parts.

Kanpur is one of the largest industrial centers in India, and many industries dump waste into the Ganges without any treatment.

On the surface of the river, piles of foam accumulate, mixed with some red stuff.

In one area, where many non-ecological industries are concentrated, the Ganges is completely painted in a dirty red color.

Another industrial drain flowing into the Ganges. Even the goats are afraid to cross it.

Further downstream is Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh. The sewage system of the residential quarter is discharged directly into the river.

Another drain channel simply ends with a drain.

The color of the banks of the gutter does not need additional comments.

Household garbage is also not shy to dispose of on the banks of the river.

And this is Varanasi, the most revered place among the Hindus. In the muddy water here, they dip their heads, gargle with it, and drink. Clothes are being washed nearby.

A hundred meters upstream, ritual cremations are carried out and the ashes of funeral pyres are dumped into the waters of the Ganges. At this point, the river is not at all like what once descended from the Himalayas. This is already a garbage dump, even if it is sacred.

Before performing the ritual, the body of the deceased is immersed in the river for a while by relatives.

Many people come here to wash themselves.

This is what the bank of the Ganges looks like in Calcutta.

In Calcutta, next to the river, there is a large brick factory, all the waste water from which also falls into the river. In general, more than two-thirds of the wastewater generated in 118 cities along the Ganges Basin is not treated.

In this way, the Ganges reaches the final destination of its journey — the Bay of Bengal.