Holy Crap it's the Ganges!

Every day over 60,000 people take a dip in the Ganges River in Varanasi, India as part of a spiritual Hindu pilgrimage. We went there ourselves but somehow we weren't compelled to take the plunge. Why you ask? Well, call us germ freaks but....
The Ganges River in Varanasi contains 3,000 times more fecal material than recommended bathing water standards set by the World Health Organization.
Yet, the people of India call the river "Mother" and depend on her to sustain their physical and spiritual well being. At sunrise in Varanasi, the River is full of activity; men gather in groups to lather their tanned bodies, women bathe dressed in full saris and scrub laundry on the shore, people drink from the waters, and children can be seen walking down the bank with their latest catch. Everyday, over 60,000 people take a dip in the most polluted seven kilometers of the River in Varanasi, India.
India's mother is on her deathbed due to 32 large sewers dumping untreated waste into the sacred waters in Varanasi. In the holy city, cremations take place at burning ghats on the side of the river - but not before ceremonial dips in the waters. Garbage dumping and pollution coming into the river from rain runoff, wind and other means (non-point source pollution) also adds to the problem. What's even worse is that the diseased waters don't stop at Varanasi - innocent villages downstream also bear the burden.

The Ganges could get cleaned up by 2014, due to efforts by the Sankat Mochan Foundation. They want to install pipes along the river from a high elevation that would flow down to a holding pool where the water could be treated for waste. Various partners around the world are supporting this effort. The foundation is currently awaiting approval from the Indian Government - who attempted to implement a plan in the 1990s and failed. Their plan relied on electricity; not the brightest idea in a place plagued with frequent power outages.

Fecal samples from Varanasi collected by the Sankat Mochan Foundation

Gopal Pandley showed me around the foundation's lab

I can't help but wonder - how can these people survive their mother's disease? What has made locals immune to infected waters that would surely make any foreigner sick? The water has contaminated some locals with a disease that discolors their skin. But, this doesn't discourage those who drink these waters everyday. There are noticeable amounts of people with deformities in the streets - is the Ganges to blame? Or, perhaps this has to do with the number of poor families here that don't have access to prenatal care?
One man tells me the Ganges is his religion. I believe him. I look at his healthy appearance, clear skin and smile and think that's a miracle in itself.

-Jenn