All colors of dirt: how Indians are killing the sacred river Ganges

Among the slopes of the Himalayas, where the great Ganges River originates, its waters are as pure as the tears of a baby. But the further the stream moves away from the source, the more it resembles a gutter. A billion Hindus consider the river sacred, but this does not prevent them from clogging it day after day. Industrial enterprises also contribute, of course.

We propose to trace how the water turns from transparent to cloudy brown as the Ganges approaches the mouth near the city of Calcutta.

The confluence of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers, tributaries of the Ganges. Here, in fact, the third largest river of the planet begins. As you can see, the water is very clean.

The Ganges in Hindu mythology is a heavenly river that descended to earth. Therefore, on its shores, churchmen conduct many sacred ceremonies.

At the source of the Ganges is the city of Devaprayag — a place of pilgrimage for Hinduism and one of the five "sacred mergers". The photo shows 19-year-old Lokesh Sharma, a fourth-generation priest.

Evening prayer in Haridwar. The water is not so clean anymore. Thousands of Hindus plunge into the river every day, believing that it frees them from their sins.

Statues of gods are also dipped into the water. Some of them, for some reason, remain there.