Meghan Hodges
The Ganges River, a holy river in Hinduism, is one of the most polluted bodies of water in the world. With India's booming population and rapid industrialization, the river has become increasingly contaminated, threatening both human health and the environment. The main sources of pollution in the Ganges include untreated sewage, industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and remnants of funeral pyres and animal carcasses. Despite efforts to clean up the river, such as the Namami Gange project, the Ganges remains severely polluted, and effective solutions are yet to be implemented.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Population Density | The Ganges basin is one of the most densely populated regions on earth, with over 450 million people living in the river basin. |
| Human Waste | Almost five billion liters of sewage flow into the river every day, only a quarter of which is treated. |
| Industrial Waste | Indian industries dump nearly a billion liters of waste into the river daily. |
| Agricultural Runoff | Fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides from agricultural fields enter the river, increasing nutrient load, causing eutrophication and oxygen depletion, and introducing toxic pollutants harmful to aquatic life. |
| Religious Practices | The Ganges is revered as a living goddess by Hindus, who cremate corpses and dispose of ashes in the river. |
| Political Issues | Cleanup efforts have been politicized, with accusations of corruption and mismanagement, and a lack of effective solutions. |
| Waterborne Diseases | The river is linked to waterborne diseases which kill thousands of adults and children annually. |
| Plastic Pollution | National Geographic Society has tracked and characterized plastics in the Ganges River. |
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What You'll Learn
Human sewage and animal waste
The Ganges River is revered as a living goddess by Hindus worldwide, but it is also one of the most polluted waterways globally. This severe pollution is caused by a combination of factors, with the disposal of untreated human sewage and animal waste being primary contributors.
Human Sewage
The Ganges River flows through a densely populated region, with over 450 million people living in the river basin. This high population density means that a significant amount of sewage ends up in the river. It is estimated that about three billion liters of wastewater flow into the Ganges every day, and a large proportion of this sewage remains untreated before being discharged. In 2022, a review indicated that only 37% of the 72,368 million liters per day of sewage generated is treated. The untreated sewage contains high levels of fecal coliform bacteria, which can cause waterborne illnesses and pose a significant threat to public health.
The lack of proper sewage treatment infrastructure is a major issue. Even where effective sewage treatment plants have been provided, many are not operating efficiently or are not operating at all. This has led to high levels of disease-causing bacteria and toxic substances in the river.
Animal Waste
In addition to human sewage, animal waste also contributes to the pollution of the Ganges River. Cattle are holy to many Hindus, and the river is used for rituals such as cattle wallowing. This introduces animal waste into the river, which can contain harmful bacteria and pollutants. Animal carcasses are also sometimes disposed of in the river, further contributing to the pollution.
Combined Impact
The combination of untreated human sewage and animal waste in the Ganges River has severe consequences for both human health and the environment. The river supplies water to approximately 40% of India's population across 11 states, serving an estimated 500 million people. The high levels of pollution in the water have led to an increase in waterborne illnesses, such as dysentery, cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid. The pollution has also had a devastating impact on the river's natural ecosystem, with fish and other aquatic creatures dying due to the contaminated water.
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Industrial waste
The Ganges River is considered one of the most polluted waterways in the world, with industrial waste being a major contributing factor. While it accounts for a smaller volume of waste compared to other sources, industrial waste poses a significant concern due to its toxic and non-biodegradable nature. Various industries dump untreated hazardous waste and wastewater directly into the river, including tanneries, chemical plants, textile factories or mills, slaughterhouses, distilleries, and hospitals.
Tanneries, for example, generate waste such as offcuts of leather, scraps of hide with hair and flesh, and chemical byproducts, which are often dumped into the river untreated. Chemical plants and factories also release toxic heavy metals like chromium, mercury, lead, copper, and other pollutants into the river. These heavy metals and chemicals have severe ecological and health impacts on the river ecosystem and the surrounding communities.
Textile mills and factories contribute to water pollution in the Ganges by discharging dyes, chemicals, and microplastics into the river. The fashion industry's use of synthetic fibres and toxic chemicals has led to the presence of microplastics and hazardous substances in the river. These microplastics can absorb and release toxic chemicals, impacting aquatic life and entering the food chain.
Slaughterhouses and meat processing facilities also play a role in polluting the Ganges. Animal blood, carcasses, and waste products are often improperly disposed of, finding their way into the river. This waste can lead to high levels of faecal coliform bacteria, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases and negatively impacting the river's ecological balance.
Additionally, distilleries and other industrial processes release wastewater containing high levels of organic and inorganic pollutants. These pollutants can include sugars, alcohols, and toxic chemicals used in the production process, which can deplete oxygen levels in the water, harm aquatic life, and contribute to the overall degradation of the river ecosystem.
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Agricultural runoff
The Ganges River is the largest river in India, supplying water to approximately 40% of the country's population across 11 states. It is also considered one of the most polluted waterways in the world. One of the factors contributing to this severe pollution is agricultural runoff.
The impact of agricultural runoff on the Ganges River is particularly evident in the Kanpur region, one of the most polluted stretches of the river. The combination of industrial effluents and agricultural runoff, along with climate change, has led to higher pollution levels in this area. The river downstream of Kanpur does not support aquatic life due to the severe impacts of pollution.
To mitigate the effects of agricultural runoff, sustainable farming practices have been proposed. This includes encouraging conservation agriculture, crop rotation, and the use of organic fertilisers to minimise pollution and runoff. Recycling wastewater from industries and promoting its reuse for non-potable purposes, such as agriculture, can also help reduce the diversion of water from ecosystems and minimise pollution.
While efforts have been made to improve water quality, such as the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) launched in 1986, the river still has a long way to go before it can be restored to a safe and healthy state. The Indian government has also embarked on campaigns to ensure that no untreated municipal sewage or industrial runoff enters the river, but the success of these initiatives remains to be seen.
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Cremated remains
The Ganges River is considered sacred in Hinduism. Many Hindus believe that dying in the city of Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganges, and having their cremated remains scattered in the river will allow their soul to escape the cycle of death and rebirth, attaining "moksha" or salvation. Varanasi is thus considered the religious capital of India, with thousands of cremations taking place there every day.
The Manikarnika Ghat is the holiest of Varanasi's stepped riverbanks, where mourners gather to cremate their loved ones. The dead are covered in ghee (clarified butter), laid on wooden planks, wrapped in white cloth, decorated with flowers, and dipped in the river before being set alight.
However, the combination of pollution and cremation rituals has led to an environment that feels far from sacred. The Ganges is now one of the most polluted rivers in the world, with high levels of bacteriological contamination. Human waste is the cause of most of the pollution, with billions of litres of sewage flowing into the river daily, most of it untreated. Industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and plastic waste are also major contributors to the pollution of the river.
In recent years, electric crematoria have been constructed next to the ghats in Varanasi and other holy towns as an alternative to traditional wooden pyres. This helps to reduce river pollution and the number of trees that need to be cut down for funeral pyres. Additionally, the city of Varanasi has implemented green policies, such as banning certain plastics and converting diesel-powered boats to run on compressed natural gas, to reduce pollution levels.
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Plastic pollution
The Ganges River is the second-largest plastic-polluting catchment in the world, with over 0.12 million tonnes of plastic discharged into marine ecosystems per year. The river is among 14 continental rivers that receive more than a quarter of the world's waste.
The Ganges River is fed by many tributaries, flowing through some of the most densely inhabited stretches of India and Bangladesh. It is a vital water source for over 655 million people, supplying water to approximately 40% of India's population across 11 states. The river traverses a distance of over 2500 kilometres, from the snow-capped Himalayas to the vast alluvial plains of north India, before joining the Brahmaputra River and emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
The plastic pollution in the Ganges comes from various sources, including discarded plastic bags, food-packaging films, and milk bottles, and ghost fishing gear (abandoned, lost, or discarded nets and other plastic equipment used by the fishing industry). The river also receives plastic waste from the cities, towns, and villages along its banks, with urban centres like Haridwar generating close to 11 tonnes of plastic waste on a regular day. The influx of waste often surpasses existing sewage treatment capacities, leading to higher levels of untreated effluents entering the river.
The plastic pollution in the Ganges has severe consequences for both human health and the environment. It poses ingestion and entanglement risks to aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, leading to a decline in biodiversity and threatening endangered species like the Ganges river dolphin and softshell turtle. The pollution also impacts vulnerable communities that depend on the river for their livelihoods, including those engaged in traditional occupations like fishing and farming.
Efforts to address the plastic pollution in the Ganges include clean-up drives and expeditions to track and characterise plastics in the river. In 2019, an all-female team of engineers, explorers, and scientists from National Geographic undertook an expedition to measure plastic waste and understand how it travels from source to sea. Additionally, Narendra Modi pledged close to $3 billion for a clean-up of the Ganges, but official figures show that only a fraction of the budget has been spent, and in many parts of the river, pollution levels have increased since the cleanup began in 2015.
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Frequently asked questions
The Ganges River is polluted with untreated sewage, industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and animal and human waste.
The Ganges basin is one of the most densely populated regions on Earth, with over 450 million people living in the river basin. As a result, almost five billion litres of sewage flow into the river every day, with only a quarter of it being treated.
There are many industrial cities on the banks of the Ganges, such as Kanpur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, and Patna, along with tanneries, chemical plants, textile mills, distilleries, slaughterhouses, and hospitals. These cities and facilities actively contribute to the river's pollution by dumping untreated waste into it.
Agricultural activities contribute significantly to the pollution load of the Ganges River through the introduction of various chemical substances such as fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. These substances enter the river primarily via runoff from agricultural fields carrying chemicals and fertilizers.
Several initiatives have been undertaken to clean the river, but they have failed to produce significant results. After being elected, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to work on cleaning the river and controlling pollution. Subsequently, in the June 2014 budget, the government announced the Namami Gange project. By 2016, an estimated $460 million had been spent on various efforts to clean up the river, with little success.
