Ganges river pollution

The pollution level in river Ganges - the holies water body for Hindu folks - is 3000 times higher than the prescribed limit set by World Health Organization.  It hurts the largest river population in the world. Nearly 450 million people rely on water of Ganges for food, water, bathing, agriculture and religious rituals. Every year millions and millions of people visit this holy watery place to bathe and worship to please their gods.

Religious rituals not to be blamed

Religious rituals of Hindu folks can not be alleged of Ganges river pollution because whatever they do is according to their religious teachings and no religion can teach to harm the environment. Actually responsible agencies and departments have failed to mitigate its pollution level and have not yet come up with any plan to offset all such pollution load created by religious practices over there.

The ash of dead bodies is flowed into Ganges River according to traditions of Hinduism and it can not be held responsible for pollution in it because every body is allowed to exercise his or her religious right of whatever type and one can not declare any of such right as harmful to nature. Actually government and relevant departments have not developed any mechanism so that whatever ashes are flowed into the river Ganges could not become part of the silt in it nor it contaminates the river water but it can be removed from the water through a scientific or chemical process.

Civic and domestic waste

Apart from religious rituals the regular civic and domestic malpractices with respect to environment also contribute a lot in its pollution load. According to a report, nearly one billion liter raw and untreated sewage and wastewater is flowed directly into the Ganges River daily and its pollution level increased manifold during previous two decades after massive rise in population of communities living around this sanctified water body.

Industrial waste and effluent

Similarly industries situated around it are also playing havoc with its environment and most of effluent and waste of industries is being dumped into it without considering its importance with respect to one of the oldest religion of the world. Laxity in environmental laws of India are also providing escape to industries on their crime against mother Nature and most of such environmental violations go unnoticed and if some cases are forwarded to courts they also could not completely wipe out polluting activities around Ganges River.

Conclusion

The outside world has an impression that it is only religious rituals which are making river Ganges polluted however, it is a misconception because it is the lethargy and callousness of human beings which is adding pollution load into it otherwise no religion teaches its followers to pollute any part of the Nature and obviously holy Ganges river is one of them.