Dying "Mother Ganges": holy river succumbs to pollution

Dying "Mother Ganges": holy river succumbs to pollution

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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.

. Devprayag, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Lokesh Sharma, a 19-year-old priest in Devprayag, a small hill town where two rivers converge to form the Ganges, is his family's fourth generation to lead riverbank prayers.

"I never thought of going somewhere else and settling. Devprayag is a heaven for me. I feel blessed to be born next to Mother Ganges," Sharma said, as chanting priests and devotees, some bottling the water, dunk themselves in the fast-flowing river.

. Devprayag, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Thousands of Indians immerse themselves and idols of their gods every day, believing a dip in the Ganges absolves a lifetime of sins. People drink the water and use it for crops.

But the pristine waters soon become a distant memory as the 2,525 km-long (1,570 mile) Ganges snakes its way down to the densely populated plains of north India, where too much water is sucked out to maintain a healthy flow.

. Kanpur, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Sliding under bridges in the industrial city of Kanpur, the water's colour turns dark grey.

Industrial waste and sewage pour in from open drains, as clouds of foam float on its surface.

. Kanpur, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

At one stretch, the river turns red.

Nearby, tannery workers haul chemical-soaked buffalo hides into huge drums. The filthy run-off is dumped in the river.

. Kanpur, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has pledged to build more treatment plants and move more than 400 tanneries away from the river, but his $3 billion clean-up plan is badly behind schedule.

. Kanpur, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Less than a quarter of an estimated 4,800 million litres of sewage that flow daily into the river from main towns and cities is treated.

The sorry state of the Ganges is most keenly felt in Varanasi, the ancient and most holy of cities for Hindus.

. Varanasi, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Religious students practise yoga, pilgrims seek spiritual purification and families cremate their dead by the water's edge, scattering ashes so that souls go to heaven and escape the cycle of rebirth.

Along the bathing ghats, prayers invoking followers to keep the Ganges clean fill the hot evening air.

"I remember earlier the water was very clean and we could drink it," said 58-year-old boatman Anil Sahni. "Now you can't even bathe in it."

. Sagar Island, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

As the river widens it curves southwards, towards the Bay of Bengal, passing thousands more villages and swelling cities.

In the 14-million strong metropolis of Kolkata, people bathe and brush their teeth next to towering mounds of rubbish. On the outskirts, brick kilns and factories line the river banks.

Downstream, a packed ferry sets off for Sagar Island, or Ganga Sagar, a magnet for Hindu pilgrims that marks the point where the Ganges meets the sea.

. Mirzapur, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

"I feel sad about what's happening around us. The Ganges is getting dirty day by day but nobody cares. Not even its children," said 66-year-old priest Ashok Kumar in Mirzapur, a riverside carpet and brass ware hub.

"The Ganges is our mother. There won't be any future if she dies."

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The confluence of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers form the river Ganges at Devprayag.
. Devprayag, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

The confluence of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers form the river Ganges at Devprayag.

A Hindu devotee baths at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers which form the Ganges in Devprayag.
. Devprayag, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A Hindu devotee baths at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers which form the Ganges in Devprayag.

Offerings by Hindu devotees float in the river Ganges in Haridwar.
. Haridwar, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Offerings by Hindu devotees float in the river Ganges in Haridwar.

Children take a bath on the banks of the river Ganges in Haridwar.
. Haridwar, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Children take a bath on the banks of the river Ganges in Haridwar.

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

A damaged idol of Hindu goddess Kali is seen in the river Ganges in Haridwar.

A man dries his trousers after washing them on the banks of the river Ganges in Haridwar.
. Haridwar, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A man dries his trousers after washing them on the banks of the river Ganges in Haridwar.

Hindu devotees offer evening prayers on the banks of the river Ganges in Haridwar.
. Haridwar, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Hindu devotees offer evening prayers on the banks of the river Ganges in Haridwar.

A woman herds her goats through a drain flowing into the river Ganges in Kanpur.
. Kanpur, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A woman herds her goats through a drain flowing into the river Ganges in Kanpur.

Fruit and vegetables are seen on a boat in the river Ganges in Kanpur.
. Kanpur, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Fruit and vegetables are seen on a boat in the river Ganges in Kanpur.

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

Untreated sewage flows from an open drain into the river Ganges in Mirzapur.

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

People sleep on the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi.

Hindu devotees cross the river Ganges on a boat in Varanasi.
. Varanasi, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Hindu devotees cross the river Ganges on a boat in Varanasi.

Temples and residential buildings are seen on the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi.
. Varanasi, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Temples and residential buildings are seen on the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi.

A man cleans garbage along the banks of the river Ganges in Kolkata.
. Kolkata, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A man cleans garbage along the banks of the river Ganges in Kolkata.

People get a massage from a traditional masseuse under a bridge on the banks of the river Ganges in Kolkata.
. Kolkata, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

People get a massage from a traditional masseuse under a bridge on the banks of the river Ganges in Kolkata.

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

A Hindu devotee carries water from the river Ganges in Kolkata.

People ride a ferry on the river Ganges in Kolkata.
. Kolkata, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

People ride a ferry on the river Ganges in Kolkata.

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

Workers repair a boat along the river Ganges in Hanra, south of Kolkata.

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

Labourers work at brick kilns along the river Ganges in Raytala, south of Kolkata.

Hindu pilgrims visit the confluence of the river Ganges and the Bay of Bengal, at Sagar Island, south of Kolkata.
. Sagar Island, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

Hindu pilgrims visit the confluence of the river Ganges and the Bay of Bengal, at Sagar Island, south of Kolkata.

A Hindu pilgrim gets his head shaved from a barber before taking a dip at the confluence of the river Ganges and the Bay of Bengal, at Sagar Island, south of Kolkata.
. Sagar Island, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A Hindu pilgrim gets his head shaved from a barber before taking a dip at the confluence of the river Ganges and the Bay of Bengal, at Sagar Island, south of Kolkata.

A lamp lit by a Hindu pilgrim is seen at the confluence of the river Ganges and the Bay of Bengal, at Sagar Island, south of Kolkata.
. Sagar Island, India. Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

A lamp lit by a Hindu pilgrim is seen at the confluence of the river Ganges and the Bay of Bengal, at Sagar Island, south of Kolkata.