When we talk about swimming pools, most people envision a scene where the water is so clear it could serve as a mirror, surrounded by an elegant environment, with beach chairs for leisurely sunbathing and cool drinks at the ready.
However, if you move this picture to India, especially to the Ganges, you might want to reconsider. The clear water, beach, and leisurely scenes all come with a big question mark.
Can you imagine, I once truly thought the Ganges was like an abandoned cesspool until I saw people here jumping into the murky water without any aversion, even drinking it in large gulps, which completely made me understand what “culture shock” means. 
Locals told me this is their “swimming pool,” which completely overturned my understanding of water.
The Ganges: The Holy Mother River, Dirty Enough to Make You Want to Run
The Ganges, as the mother river of India, holds an irreplaceable position in the hearts of Hindus.
Every summer, millions of Hindu pilgrims flock here, believing that the water of the Ganges can purify the mind and body, washing away all sins. So, they dive headfirst into this murky river, finding their so-called “spiritual purification” within.
Sounds quite sacred, right? But if you see the quality of the water in the river, your heart might not be able to bear the weight of this sanctity.
The water of the Ganges isn’t as clear as you might imagine; instead, it’s like accidentally falling into a rural cesspool. The surface is littered with various kinds of garbage, corpses, and even burnt ashes. Forget about swimming pools; it’s more like a super-sized garbage dump, where even I wouldn’t dare to approach.
Do you believe this water can wash away all evil? I don’t.
Moreover, the pollution of the Ganges is extremely severe, with hundreds of factories discharging untreated industrial wastewater into the river every day, with bacteria and carcinogens far exceeding safe levels.
This river is practically the Indian version of a “cesspool,” unknown for how many years it has been polluted.
However, look at these devout believers; they still don’t give up on their “bathing” ceremony in the Ganges. Some even dare to jump into the water and scoop it up with cups to drink.
Sigh, it’s an incredible faith. I guess they might even pray before drinking, for a spiritual “cleansing.”
Faith-Driven “Water World”
This reminds me of something; the power of faith is really strong, but how strong is it? Some things are simply beyond judgment.
Local Hindus don’t care about the water quality of the Ganges; they believe that only this can be considered the purest and most sacred river.
They believe that the water of the Ganges can purify the soul, even if it’s mixed with not just detergents but thousands of pollutants.
For them, this is divine favor, believing in the magical power of the Ganges to bring good luck, ward off diseases, and disasters.
As for us outsiders, no matter how we look at it, this water seems dirtier than flatulence, but in their eyes, this water is the “elixir” that cleanses all souls.
I saw by the river, believers jumping into the water one after another, confidently performing their prayer rituals.
Can you believe it? These people aren’t just jumping in for a bath; they even drink the water without hesitation.
Honestly, when I saw this, my emotions were complex, almost wanting to vomit, thinking about slapping them awake—”What are you drinking? Is it fertilizer water?”
As for the chemical waste, garbage, and corpses, they are all considered “sacred baptism,” elevating their faith.
Would you think this is really their “spiritual holy land”? But it’s fine, if not, maybe they wouldn’t even be able to unleash the power of their faith.
The Ganges, the Polluted “Holy Land”
Despite this, the Ganges is still regarded as the holy river of Hinduism.
Although it often tops the list of the world’s dirtiest rivers, the Indian government has invested a lot of money in its cleanup, but the result is as you might expect—half-hearted, with poor treatment results.
You can even see a group of experts beside the government writing articles daily, yet they still can’t save that stream of dirty water.
Nevertheless, the Ganges remains the lifeline of Northern India, witnessing the rise and fall of history, carrying too many stories of life and death.
Here, bodies are cremated, ashes are scattered into the river, believers look up to the Ganges, performing their “purification” rituals, while for us outsiders, all of this is simply beyond comprehension.
Kumbh Mela, the Baptism of Faith
If you’ve ever seen India’s “Kumbh Mela,” you might think it’s like a scene from an absurd comedy.
Held every four years in four cities, the festival’s origins trace back to a story of “gods spilling nectar.”
To put it plainly, one day, these gods were working above the earth when a bottle of immortality elixir accidentally fell, dripping into the rivers of these four cities.
As a result? These river waters turned into “holy water.” Every Kumbh Mela, pilgrims flock here, lying in the river, washing themselves with all their might, hoping to wash away all the dirt, even taking some water home for “nourishment.”
The Grandeur of Kumbh Mela
Imagine thousands of pilgrims crowding the banks of the Ganges, their faces devout, dressed simply, with an air of “washing away the mundane, cleansing all sins.”
Everyone confidently steps into this so-called “holy” river, starting to pray, bathe, drink the river water, and even take some home, claiming it’s to enjoy divine blessings.
Honestly, I still think this is “amazing courage.”
Can you imagine running into this river, murky with various floating garbage, and drinking a mouthful with gusto, then swearing that you’ve been “purified”?
In 2013, Global Times reported that during the Kumbh Mela that year, approximately 80 to 100 million people flocked to the Ganges.
Wow, sounds like a grand “baptism,” but the problem is, the pollution caused by this festival is truly breathtaking.
Pilgrims frolic in the water, wash their bodies, eat, drink, and excrete, leaving behind all sorts of garbage—honeysuckle, coconut shells, various trash, even unknown objects…
After a “world turned upside down,” the Ganges water turns into a “foam factory,” with foam almost overflowing, making it seem like not only sins are being washed away but even the water itself is turning into a “foam party.”
Every time after the festival, especially when the monsoon arrives, the pollution levels of the Ganges skyrocket.
The content of bacteria and heavy metals is much higher than safe standards.
In fact, earlier statistics showed that the E. coli count in the Ganges water was 200 times the normal level!
Don’t believe me? You can taste it yourself, although you might immediately get diarrhea, not even having time to “wash away sins.”
But don’t worry, some “experts” have said that the Ganges water has a magical “self-purification function,” with a radioactive element called bismuth-214 in the water, which, after some time in the river, can actually kill bacteria!
Doesn’t it sound like science fiction? But you should be aware, this stuff can kill bacteria, but drinking it regularly could have significant effects on your body.
It’s like drinking a “special drink” with radioactive substances, purifying your body’s sins, but in exchange, you might get genetic mutations—this is truly “mutated purification.”
The Collision of the Sacred and Reality in the Ganges
For Indians, the Ganges is not just a flow of water.
It is the source of their faith, the holy land of their soul’s purification.
No matter the quality of the water, in their hearts, this water is always “holy water,” bearing the responsibility of washing away all evil.
The devotion of the believers is no less than any religious fanatic.
Despite often playing in the Ganges, swimming, and even stepping on floating corpses, they still consider this water sacred, capable of freeing them from all filth.
Truly worthy of being called “great holy water”!
These people might have become “adaptable to Ganges water,” living well under any water quality, even centenarians are not rare, sounding like some sort of special “antibody”!
However, let’s look at the example of Dr. Atul Gawande from the United States, who can be described as sounding the alarm.
He once drank Ganges water, resulting in months of illness, catching a cold, fever, and feeling weak like a piece of rotten mud.
So he realized that the Ganges water isn’t something ordinary people can easily handle—even with vaccinations and protective measures, he still couldn’t escape the various discomforts brought by “Indian specialties.”
Well, perhaps Indian guts are tougher, able to “become one with the Ganges water,” while we outsiders can only watch as they drink the “holy water” in one gulp, then clutch their stomachs, feeling nauseous, silently thinking, “Next time, I’ll just drink some mineral water.”
The Difficult Journey of Ganges Cleanup: The “Life Crisis” of the Holy River
Can you imagine, the Ganges has been through over a hundred years of pollution control battles?
Yes, you heard that right. For over a hundred years, the Indian government and environmental organizations have been earnestly persuading and trying to give this “sacred river” a physical examination. The result? A huge “blank check.”
From the British Era to the “Lifeline” After Independence
Do you think India knew how to manage the environment from the start? Haha, that’s wishful thinking.
In fact, even during the British colonial period, India began efforts to control Ganges pollution.
As for the control measures? It was like “treating the disease without looking at the illness”—proposing a bunch of laws, but these laws were like drawing a pie in the sky, with no substantial content.
Back then, the British might have thought, “We’re too busy exploiting resources to care about your river.”
After India gained independence, the situation didn’t improve.
The pollution of the Ganges worsened, like an old man with a chronic illness, no one taking care, no one willing to act, just a lot of “hypocritical” regulations on their lips.
In 1986, the Indian Prime Minister finally couldn’t sit still and launched the “Ganges Action Plan,” a grand project, saying “we want to purify the holy river,” but in reality, the “effect was far from satisfactory,” like giving an injection without watching diet or rest, nothing got done.
Reform Plans, but People Still Do As They Please
In this farce of Ganges cleanup, the most shocking thing is the Indian people’s “special attitude” towards the Ganges.
Do you know what their reaction is? Simple and straightforward: “We worship it, no matter how dirty it is.”
So, factories continue to discharge wastewater into the river, and believers still frolic in the water, even sometimes “taking a sip” of the Ganges water to satisfy their cravings.
The water of the Ganges has become their “soul-cleansing water,” but whether it cleanses the soul or the body, you can only judge for yourself.
This “brainwashing worship” and the “helpless fate” of the river form a stark contrast.
On one hand, the Indian government talks about controlling pollution, on the other, the people seem to turn a blind eye to it, thinking “holy water can wash away everything.”
Even local residents say: “With so much dirt in the Ganges water, isn’t that a kind of ‘magical’ experience?”
The Outcome? Even More Absurd
When you think everything has reached an irreparable point, the Indian government comes up with an “astonishing move”—in 2020, Prime Minister Modi announced that the pollution problem of the Ganges “is finally going to be solved”!
To achieve this grand goal, the Indian government “allocated 200 billion rupees,” but the actual amount invested in cleanup work was less than a quarter of the total.
This trick familiar, right? Like those people who announce million-dollar projects in meetings, only to end up with “tangible” results like a few potatoes.
In short, most of the cleanup plans ended up as talk on paper.
Temporary Purification: The “Unexpected Gift” During the Epidemic
Speaking of Ganges purification, hey, there’s an “interesting interlude.”
Back when the global COVID-19 epidemic broke out, India announced a lockdown.
As a result, all believers dared not go to the river to bathe or worship, giving the Ganges a “rare break.”
Yes, during the lockdown, the water quality of the Ganges unexpectedly improved, with a slight decrease in pollution levels, comparable to an old lady with a chronic illness suddenly getting a brief respite, but alas, this gift didn’t last long.
As the epidemic slightly subsided, bodies were directly thrown into the Ganges, followed by the water quality deteriorating again, creating a situation of “not dying, but not recovering.”
To be honest, the significance of the Ganges to India can’t be overshadowed by a bit of “pollution.”
Its cultural symbolism is too strong, almost the womb of Indian civilization, comparable to China’s Yellow River and Yangtze River.
Speaking of which, this river is not just the “mind, body, and soul” purification site for most Indians, but also their “spiritual homeland.”
Think about it, the ancient Indian civilization quietly rose along this river, with a lifestyle “dependent on water,” deeply influencing the people of this land.
You say, how dirty can this river get? Not as heavy as that “sentiment.”
If you understand the pollution of the Ganges from a cultural perspective, you might feel the emotions Indians have for the river.
Here, it’s not just the “pool for washing souls,” but also a symbol of “man and nature living in harmony.”
However, culture and reality often don’t align.
Efforts in environmental management ultimately face the “nail” of culture, with conflicts between governance and faith hard to reconcile.
In Conclusion: Perhaps, the Ganges Can “Reborn” in the Future
While we might jest about the “periodic table of elements” in the Ganges water, using humor to mask its plight, no one dares to take lightly the fate of this river that once supported Indian civilization.
Can the “holy water” regain its clarity? Perhaps only time will tell.
Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, the Ganges can truly be reborn, once again becoming the holy ground for washing away people’s sins, rather than a stage of absurdity troubling faith and reality.
