India's holy Ganges River is devastatingly polluted, yet provides drinking water for over 400 million people — here's what it looks like

Ganges river
A man cleans garbage along the banks of the river Ganges in Kolkata, India, April 9, 2017. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

India's Ganges River is a paradox: The mighty river's tributaries are cool, Himalayan-glacier fed springs. But where the river meets Indian subcontinent's highly populated cities, and pours out into the Bay of Bengal, the water goes from crystal clear to trash-and sewage-infested sludge.

Advertisement

Prime Minister Narendra Modi committed $3 billion in 2015 to clean up the waterway that provides drinking water for 400 million people — and is revered as a place of worship for over a billion Hindus — but a recent audit found that less than a quarter of those funds have actually been used to help the situation, according to Reuters. 

And the Ganges, or the Ganga Mata (Mother Ganges) as it's called by India's devout, is in bad shape. Untreated sewage flows directly into the river where people cook, bathe, and perform burial rites for the recently-deceased. Factories and farms from industries as varied as leather tanning to shipbuilding line the river's banks, dumping dangerous chemicals into the river.

Modi's government set a target to improve the river's water quality by the beginning of 2018 — but it looks like that goal won't be met. 

We've rounded up some of the most startling images of the river's pollution below: 

Advertisement

The Ganges begins in the Himalayas as a crystal clear river high in the mountains, but pollution and excessive usage transforms it into toxic sludge on its journey through cities and industrial hubs.

Ganges river
Hindu priests sit inside a cave as they perform evening prayers on the banks of the river Ganges in Devprayag, India. India's holy Ganges begins as a crystal clear river high in the icy Himalayas but pollution and excessive usage transforms it into toxic sludge on its journey through burgeoning cities, industrial hubs and past millions of devotees. Worshipped by a billion Hindus and a water source for 400 million, "Mother Ganga" is dying, despite decades of government efforts to save it. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

As the rivers flows into more populated areas, it gets filled with runoff and sediment from the surrounding cities. Here, the river takes on a muddy hue in Kanpur, in India's northernmost Uttar Pradesh state.

Ganges river
Polluted water in the river Ganges is seen in Kanpur, India. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
Advertisement

Untreated sewage flows directly from drain pipes into the river.

Ganges river
Untreated sewage flows from an open drain into the river Ganges in Mirzapur, India REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

Further down the river, in Kanpur, layers of foam form among the sewage in the river.

Ganges River
Layers of foam float in a sewage drain flowing into the river Ganges in Kanpur, India. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
Advertisement

Though polluted, people use the river for bathing, cooking, and washing. A boy bathes among sewage foam in Uttar Pradesh.

Ganges river
A devotee takes a holy dip in the polluted Sangam, confluence of three rivers, the Ganga, the Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, in the northern Indian city of Allahabad November 10, 2008. REUTERS/Jitendra Prakash

Beyond sewage, piles of garbage are dumped directly into the river, especially in urban areas where authorities do not regularly collect trash.

Ganges river
A boy runs past a pile of garbage along the river Ganges in Mirzapur, India REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
Advertisement

Multiple industries line the banks of the Ganges, drawing on the river's water to power factories, transport goods, and dump waste. In Kanpur, leather tanneries line the banks of the river, dumping industrial waste directly into the river.

Ganges river
An employee works inside a leather tannery at an industrial area in Kanpur, India. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

Dyed leather — which uses harsh chemicals — are seen here drying near the banks of the river in Kanpur.

Ganges river
Dyed leather pieces dry near the banks of the river Ganges in Kanpur, India REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
Advertisement

Further South, in Kolkata, brick kilns use the clay and sediment from the river. The kilns pump noxious fumes into the air, which further exacerbate the water quality issues.

Ganges river
Labourers work at brick kilns along the river Ganges in Raytala, south of Kolkata, India. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

Here, workers repair a boat in Kolkata.

Ganges river
Workers repair a boat along the river Ganges in Hanra, south of Kolkata, India. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
Advertisement

The Ganges is holy to over a billion Hindus. Statues, like this one of the goddess Kali, are doused in the river's water.

Ganges river
A man sits next to a damaged idol of Hindu goddess Kali which was taken out after its immersion in the river Ganges in Haridwar, India. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

In a telling scene, a damaged idol of Hindu goddess Kali is seen lying in the river.

Ganges river
A damaged idol of Hindu goddess Kali is seen in the river Ganges in Haridwar, India REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
Advertisement

The river's water is considered holy by devout Hindus.

Ganges river
A Hindu devotee carries water from the river Ganges in Kolkata, India REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

Here, a man pours holy water on the polluted banks of river Ganges beside the idols of Hindu god and goddess that were immersed during the Durga Puja — a holy festival — in Kolkata.

Ganges river
A man pours water on the polluted banks of river Ganges beside the idols of Hindu god and goddess that were immersed during the Durga Puja festival in Kolkata October 20, 2010. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause
Advertisement

Devout Hindus immerse the bodies of the recently deceased in the holy river water prior to cremation in Varanasi, the spiritual capital of India.

Ganges river
Relatives immerse a body in the river Ganges prior to cremation in Varanasi, India REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

Right near the area where the burial rites are performed, Varanasi locals use the Ganges river for bathing and cooking.

Ganges river
A man washes himself on the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi, India. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
Advertisement

Some people sleep on the banks of the river, too.

Ganges river
People sleep on the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi, India. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

Pilgrims swim in the river to purify themselves, even with trash strewn about the beach. Here, a man takes a dip where the river pours out into the Bay of Bengal.

Ganges river
A Hindu pilgrim leaves after taking a dip at the confluence of the river Ganges and the Bay of Bengal, at Sagar Island, south of Kolkata, India REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
Advertisement

Despite local citizens' best efforts, the river remains heavily polluted.

Ganges river
A man cleans garbage along the banks of the river Ganges in Kolkata, India, April 9, 2017. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

Though the Ganga Mata can be filthy — there are still moments of sublime beauty on the holy waterway. Here, a ferry passes through Kolkata at dusk.

Ganges river
People ride a ferry on the river Ganges in Kolkata, India REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
India Innovation
Advertisement
Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.