(English) Ganga: An unholy mess

Pollution

From the Himalayan glaciers to the Bay of Bengal, the Ganga collects the toxic waste from half a billion people, to become one of the most polluted rivers in the world

Running dry

The waters of the Ganga are absent for eight months of the year, as its flow is dammed and diverted for power and agriculture

Taming the river

The Ganga is one of the most engineered rivers in the world – with disastrous impacts on water and silt flow downstream

Life under threat

Dirty water, toxic water, low water, no water — India’s greatest river is increasingly becoming unliveable for the rich aquatic life it once supported easily

Regional cooperation

With Bangladesh complaining bitterly about the reduced water flow from India during the dry season, the transboundary nature of the river is now very much in focus