Namaami Gange: Rejuvenating the Holy River

River Ganga, represented as goddess Ganga in the Hindu religion, was considered a holy river and was believed to wash away the sins of people taking a dip in it. Believers travelled long distances to submerge the ashes of their deceased relatives and perform various other rituals in the holy river. The river, along its 2,500 km course, met the needs of nearly 11 states of India. But over the years, the waters of the river became polluted due to various religious rituals, industrial waste, human waste, etc., flowing into it. The Ganga Action Plan started by the government in 1985 with the mission of cleaning the Ganga was a failure. Many non-governmental organizations like the Sankat Mochan Foundation (SMF) established in 1982 also contributed to the attempts to clean the Ganga. Many modifications were made in the plans to clean the Ganga and a huge budget was allocated for the purpose but despite the measures taken to clean the river and prevent contamination, no significant improvement was seen...