The poisoning of the Ganges
India's holy river emerges from the Himalayas crystal clear. By its end, it's filled with industrial sludge, human waste, and decomposing corpses.
October 2013
The Ganges from Rishikesh to Uttarkashi, India.
July 2017
A Hindu priest performs evening prayers on the banks of the river in Devprayag, India.
January 2013
A Hindu pilgrim dips herself into the confluence of the Ganges and the Bay of Bengal at Sagar Island, India.
July 2017
A damaged idol of Hindu goddess Kali floats in the Ganges in Haridwar, India.
July 2017
A pile of garbage along the river in Mirzapur, India.
July 2017
A portion of the river that has turned red from pollution in Kanpur, India.
July 2017
Untreated foaming sewage flows from an open drain into the river in Mirzapur, India.
July 2017
A man cleans garbage along the banks of the river in Kolkata, India.
July 2017
Relatives immerse a body in the river prior to cremation in Varanasi, India.
July 2017
An employee works inside a leather tannery near the river in Kanpur, India, in July 2017.
July 2017
Chemical-soaked leather pieces dry near the banks of the river.
July 2017
A man washes himself in the river in Varanasi, India.
November 2011
Hindu devotees gather to worship in the Ganges in Patna, India.
July 2017
A Hindu woman carries water from the Ganges in Kolkata, India.
