The Ganges is a sacred river in India, important for agriculture and religious worship. Shrinking glaciers and pollution threaten its future, causing concern for scientists and the Indian nation.
The Ganges is a river that flows through northern India and parts of Bangladesh. This river has a sacred place in the Hindu religion, making it a popular destination for Hindu pilgrims, and it also plays an important economic role in India. Some scientists have raised concerns about the future of the Ganges, as the glaciers that feed its upper reaches are shrinking and the river could vanish entirely as a result, dealing a devastating blow to the Indian nation.
This river originates in the Himalayas and flows 1,560 miles (2,510 kilometers) to empty into a huge delta in the Bay of Bengal. Along the way, the Ganges is fed by numerous tributaries, creating a huge river plain that is extremely valuable for Indian agriculture. The Ganges plain is one of the most agriculturally productive areas in India, supporting a large percentage of the nation’s population, and consequently the Indian population is heavily concentrated in this area.
Hindus believe that the Ganges is a sacred river, with the power to cleanse bathers of sins. Many Hindu festivals take place near the Ganges and Hindus often gather along the river on festive days, to bathe in the water and worship the goddess Ganga, the personification of the river in the Hindu pantheon. The Ganges is also a popular place to scatter the ashes of the dead, and many ghats, or cremation platforms, are stationed on the banks of the Ganges for this reason.
The holy city of Varanasi sits on the banks of the Ganges and the river is also dotted with numerous temples and other places of worship. Many visitors to India enjoy visiting the Ganges, as the river offers a fascinating glimpse into Indian life and culture; it is the center of both agriculture and religious worship, and the banks tend to be crowded with a very colorful assortment of people, animals and goods.
The Ganges is greatly threatened by pollution, which is a major concern for many scientists working in India. The water is heavily choked with pesticides, nutrient runoff, industrial waste, and biohazardous material such as untreated wastewater. Attempts have been made to cleanse the Ganges but are hampered by the imperfect regulation of many industries in India and exacerbated by the difficulty of enforcing those regulations. As the river narrows due to diminished glacial melt supply, the Ganges can become a concentrated stream of pollutants which could be extremely dangerous to water or use for agriculture.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
