FILTHY INDIA - NOT FOR SENSITIVE VIEWERS! (47 PICTURES)click! .
Ganges River(...)It is the longest river of India(...)The Ganges basin is the most heavily populated river basin in the world, with over 400 million (...)The Ganges is the most sacred river to Hindus(...)It is worshiped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism(...) Hindus consider the waters of the Ganges to be both pure and purifying(...) Hindus bathe in its waters,paying homage to their ancestors and to their gods by cupping the water in their hands, lifting it and letting it fall back into (...)the river and is also a lifeline to millions of Indians who live along its course and depend on it for their daily needs(...)The Ganges was ranked among the five most polluted rivers of the world (...) The Ganges suffers from extreme pollution levels, which affect the 400 million people who live close to the river. Sewage from many cities along the river's course, industrial waste and religious offerings wrapped in non-degradable plastics add large amounts of pollutants to the river as it flows through densely populated areas. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that many poorer people rely on the river on a daily basis for bathing, washing, and cooking (...) After the cremation of the deceased at Varanasi's ghats the bones and ashes are thrown into the Ganges. However, in the past thousands of uncremated bodies were thrown into the Ganges during cholera epidemics, spreading the disease. Even today, holy men, pregnant women, people with leprosy/chicken pox, people who had been bitten by snakes, people who had committed suicide, the poor, and children under 5 are not cremated at the ghats but are floated free to decompose in the waters. In addition, those who can not afford the large amount of wood needed to incinerate the entire body, leave behind a lot of half burned body parts...
