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.

Hindu devotees gather to worship in the river Ganges in Patna, India.
(Image credit: REUTERS/Stringer)
Kelly Gonsalves
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published
(Image credit: The Ganges from Rishikesh to Uttarkashi, India.)

(Image credit: A Hindu priest performs evening prayers on the banks of the river in Devprayag, India.)

(Image credit: A Hindu pilgrim dips herself into the confluence of the Ganges and the Bay of Bengal at Sagar Island, India.)

(Image credit: A damaged idol of Hindu goddess Kali floats in the Ganges in Haridwar, India.)

(Image credit: A pile of garbage along the river in Mirzapur, India.)

(Image credit: A portion of the river that has turned red from pollution in Kanpur, India.)

(Image credit: Untreated foaming sewage flows from an open drain into the river in Mirzapur, India.)

(Image credit: A man cleans garbage along the banks of the river in Kolkata, India.)

(Image credit: Relatives immerse a body in the river prior to cremation in Varanasi, India.)

(Image credit: An employee works inside a leather tannery near the river in Kanpur, India, in July 2017.)

(Image credit: Chemical-soaked leather pieces dry near the banks of the river.)

(Image credit: A man washes himself in the river in Varanasi, India.)

(Image credit: Hindu devotees gather to worship in the Ganges in Patna, India.)

(Image credit: A Hindu woman carries water from the Ganges in Kolkata, India.)

Kelly Gonsalves
Kelly Gonsalves

Kelly Gonsalves is a sex and culture writer exploring love, lust, identity, and feminism. Her work has appeared at Bustle, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and more, and she previously worked as an associate editor for The Week. She's obsessed with badass ladies doing badass things, wellness movements, and very bad rom-coms.

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