“Water Pollution Control” by Ivanildo Hespanhol, Richard Helmer, The Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council, United Nations Environment Programme, World Health Organization (WHO)
Helmer, Richard., Hespanhol, Ivanildo. “Water Pollution Control.” United Nations Environment Programme. The Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council and the World Health Organization. 1997.
Case Study I* – The Ganga, India
Edited by Richard Helmer and Ivanildo Hespanhol
Published on behalf of the United Nations Environment Programme, the Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council and the World Health Organization by E. & F. Spon
There is a universal reverence to water in almost all of the major religions of the world. Most religious beliefs involve some ceremonial use of “holy” water. The purity of such water, the belief in its known historical and unknown mythological origins, and the inaccessibility of remote sources, elevate its importance even further. In India, the water of the river Ganga is treated with such reverence.
The river Ganga occupies a unique position in the cultural ethos of India. Legend says that the river has descended from Heaven on earth as a result of the long and arduous prayers of King Bhagirathi for the salvation of his deceased ancestors. From times immemorial, the Ganga has been India’s river of faith, devotion and worship. Millions of Hindus accept its water as sacred. Even today, people carry treasured Ganga water all over India and abroad because it is “holy” water and known for its “curative” properties.
However, the river is not just a legend, it is also a life-support system for the people of India. It is important because…