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>The Ganges is the most sacred river to Hindus.[6] It is worshipped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism.[8]
>Severely polluted with human waste and industrial contaminants, the Ganges river provides water to about 40% of India's population across 11 states,[2] serving an estimated population of 500 million people which is more than any other river in the world.[3][4]
>The Ganges suffers from extreme pollution levels,[120] caused by the 400 million people who live close to the river.[121][122] 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.[9][123][124] The problem is exacerbated by the fact that many poorer people rely on the river on a daily basis for bathing, washing, and cooking.[123] It has also been suggested that eighty percent of all illnesses in India and one-third of deaths can be attributed to water-borne diseases.[e]
>Varanasi, a city of one million people that many pilgrims visit to take a "holy dip" in the Ganges, releases around 200 million litres of untreated human sewage into the river each day, leading to large concentrations of faecal coliform bacteria.[123] According to official standards, water safe for bathing should not contain more than 500 faecal coliforms per 100 ml, yet upstream of Varanasi's ghats the river water already contains 120 times as much, 60,000 faecal coliform bacteria per 100 ml.[125][126]
