The Damage: Freshwater Systems (warning: graphic imagery)

A surprising number of human activities result with waste being disposed of in nearby waterways. Hormones from birth control, sunscreen residue, pesticides, petroleum, human sewage, animal waste, and nutrient-rich fertilizers all wind up in our streams, rivers, lakes, and ultimately, oceans. Many developed countries have effective methods of treating water and regulating what enters many waterways, making drinking water relatively safe. However, many developing countries struggle more with water sanitation, because of a lack of infrastructure for keeping water clean (Nat'l Geographic).

An enlightening and sometimes startling story of pollution lies in the waters of the Ganges River, which meanders for 1,600 miles from the Himalayas through northern India, on into Bangladesh and then out into the Bay of Bengal (as can be seen in the following figure).

ncge.co

For hundreds of years, Hinduism has considered the Ganges to be a symbol of spiritual purity, and the earthly incarnation of the deity "Ganga." Because of the river's spiritual value, it is a common practice to purify one's self by touching, bathing in, or consuming its' water. Many Indian people have described the Ganges as "the river of India," reflecting upon its' rich history, great beauty, and holiness (Hammer, 2007).

ai.stanford.edu

However, the Ganges of today is, in some ways, a stark contrast to its' historical nature. In the past 30 years, India's population has risen to almost 1.2 billion, a huge number that is second only to China. Such a large and rapidly increasing population has resulted in an overwhelming amount of consequences. Higher food demand has resulted in record amounts of water being siphoned from the Ganges. Industrial dumping of chemicals into the Ganges is often severely unregulated, and when there are regulations, they are often not enforced. Today, around 400 tanneries continue to release their chemical waste into the river, and industrial leaks have been known to kill by the thousands. Today, the amount of human sewage released into the river has doubled since the 1990s, and could double again soon (Hammer, 2007).
The consequences of anthropogenic pollution in the Ganges are far reaching. So far, we know that certain parts of one of the Ganges' tributaries, the Yamuna River, has pollution-induced dead-zones, where aquatic life no longer exists. We also know that the coliform concentration in the sacred city of Varanasi is currently 3000 times higher than the safety standard determined by the U.N. Additionally, many claim that the water of the Ganges River is the main cause of increased infant mortalities, skin abnormalities, and other health ailments (Hammer, 2007).

123rf.com
"The river had turned the color of Coca-Cola" -Ramesh Chandra Trivedi of the Central Pollution Control Board (Hammer, 2007).

A source of pollution that is particularly hard for me to image is decomposing human bodies. As recent as 1997, a clean up effort lead by activist Rakesh Jaiswal recovered 180 human bodies from a mile long stretch of the river. Since then, a cemetery has been built along the riverside and a slightly stricter ban has been placed on body disposal, although it is still violated (Hammer, 2007).

all-about-india.com

In the past 20 years, government efforts have been made to shut down some of the grossest Ganges polluters, and allocating $100 million to the building of water treatment plants in 25 river cities. Unfortunately, the treatment plants have thus far been a huge disappointment: as of 2002, they have been able to process only 1/3rd of the 600 million gallons of sewage entering the Ganges River daily. Regarding this grave issue, a saddened and frustrated Jaiswal explained:
"We can send a shuttle into space, we can build the [new] Delhi Metro [subway] in record time. We can detonate nuclear weapons. So why can't we clean up our rivers? We have money. We have competence. The only problem is that the issue is not a priority for the Indian government."

If you would like to learn more or have a visual experience of the plight of the Ganges, I would recommend this short video: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3b4c2046-91f6-11e2-a6f4-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2UXLhUjZ0

While the Ganges River may seem like an extreme example of water pollution to countries that are more developed, this level of pollution is actually somewhat typical for many developing countries. According to U.N. water statistics, more than 90% of wastewater used in developing countries is left untreated as it reenters waterways. This, of course, puts pressure on the availability of safe drinking and bathing water, as well as threatening food security. The strain of water pollution is often disproportionate, as some heavily polluting industries (such as leather or chemical) move from higher to lower income countries (U.N. Water).
What is humbling for developed countries is when news of how far from perfect their own freshwater systems are. In March, a study was released claiming that over 50% of U.S. rivers are too contaminated to effectively support life. This study comes from the EPA, which determined that 55% of U.S. rivers were in "poor" condition, primarily due to excess amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous runoff from agricultural land, sewer systems, and cities (Mail Online). Furthermore, 9% of the rivers and streams sampled showed bacterial counts that exceeded safe levels (Mail Online).
While countries such as our own may have comparatively modern infrastructure for dealing with pollution and contamination, there is clearly still much room for improvement. While human populations continue to increase, the pressure on our water sources grow ever greater. Continuous improvements are imperative if we plan to maintain reasonable safety standards for our own usage, and the ecological integrity of our waterways.


Works cited:

Hammer, Joshua. A Prayer for the Ganges. Smithsonian Magazine Nov. 2007. Print. 27 May 2013.

Daily Mail Reporter. More than HALF of U.S. rivers are too polluted to support life as shocking report reveals scale of water contamination. Mail Online: Daily Mail, 27 Mar. 2013. web. 27 May 2013.

Statistics: Graphs & Maps. U.N. Water, n.d. web. 27 May 2013.

Water Pollution: Find Out What's in the Water. National Geographic: Environment, n.d. web. 27 May 2013.