India, a country where the marvels of nature are often worshiped, is unfortunately even a country where pious and sacred water bodies are soon turning into 'sewage drains' and ponds have begun spewing out toxic foam.

Introduction to Water Pollution

Water pollution refers to the contamination of water bodies caused by the addition of undesirable substances.There exist mainly 4 methods of measuring the degree of water pollution. The first and the very simplest includes the calculation of a water body's pH to determine how acidic or basic it is. The second and one of the most widely used method is to take into account the Most Probable Number (MPN) of coliform bacteria per 100ml of water. Biological Oxygen Demand or BOD, which indicates the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aquatic organisms fir respiration is yet another way to calculate the amount of water pollution pollution is less if BOD is below 1500 mg/L and high if it exceeds 4000mg/L .TDS ( Total Dissolved Substances) above 120 ppm is unsuitable for domestic and industrial purposes.

India and Its Water Bodies

India is blessed with 7 pristine major rivers, a large coastline that covers a length of over 7000 Kilometers and of course, a vast ocean named after the subcontinent (The Indian Ocean)!

Religious Sentiments

We Indians have a tendency of worshiping almost all forms of nature, flora and fauna. It would also be interesting to know that cow,in fact,  is considered sacred in India because it provides us nourishment by providing milk and also assists the toiling farmers in their farms. The rivers in India are considered incredibly holy and millions of citizens travel long distances simply to take a dip in these water bodies and ' wash away their sins'.

Below, I present a case studies of the largest and most sacred river in India which unfortunately is on the verge of perishing.

Case Study: River Ganges/ Ganga

River Ganga is the largest river in India with a length of a whopping 2,525 km (1,569 mi). Originating from the Himalayan range, it flows into two countries, namely India and Bangladesh. Besides contributing to a lot of tourism, and providing steady water supply to inhabitants on its banks, it also supports livelihoods of people engaged in agriculture, fishing, navigation etc.

Since the past few decades have whizzed past, however, the state of Ganga has deteriorated due to pollution caused by more than a hundred towns and cities. In 2007, it was ranked as the fifth most polluted river in the world.

Causes for Its Pollution :

Consequences :

• Contamination of Ganga poses threats to not only humans, but also more than 140 fish species, 90 amphibian species and the endangered Gangetic River Dolphin that is endemic to this area.

Steps Taken By Authorities: