The Ganges: Much More Than Just a River
2020-08-20
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1More than 2,000 years ago, a powerful leader built a fortress on India's holiest river -- the Ganges.
2King Yayati set up the fort to help guard his territory.
3Today, ruins are all that remain of the old structure.
4The area along the Ganges River is now an industrial city called Kanpur.
5Workers there collect stones from the ruins to build simple homes.
6These shelters, called shanties, sit on top of what once was the king's fortress.
7The Ganges stretches over 2,700 kilometers across India.
8It begins high up in the Himalayan Mountains and eventually empties into the Bay of Bengal.
9The Ganges has seen empires rise and fall.
10It has seen countless wars, kings, British colonial rulers, independence, and the rise of Hindu nationalism as a political movement.
11In India, the Ganges is far more than just a river.
12It is religion, industry, farming, and politics.
13To Hindus, the Ganges is known as "Ganga Ma" - meaning Mother Ganges.
14It is the center of spiritual life for more than a billion people.
15Every year, millions of Hindu pilgrims visit temples and other holy places along the Ganges.
16The word "pilgrimage" means traveling to a special place for an important, often religious, reason.
17The river is a source of water for millions of people.
18To drink from the Ganges is to bring luck.
19For many Hindus, life is considered incomplete if they do not bathe in the river at least once in their lifetime.
20Its waters are believed to wash away sin.
21But all is not well with the Ganges.
22Pollution has left much of it dangerous to drink.
23Large amounts of untreated wastewater are being added to the river every day.
24Another source of pollution comes from water used by manufacturers of cloth and leather products.
25Criminal groups illegally remove sand from the riverside.
26They use it to feed India's seemingly endless need for concrete, a common building material.
27Hydroelectric dams were built along waterways emptying into the Ganges.
28These dams are needed to supply power to India's growing economy.
29But some Hindus are angry.
30They say the machinery has compromised the purity of the river.
31The Ganges starts at the Gangotri Glacier.
32Its ice provides almost half the river's water.
33Over the past 40 years, the ice has been melting at a frightening rate.
34The glacier is now shrinking about 22 meters every year.
35For thousands of years, the glacial ice melt has guaranteed that India's dry plains get enough water, even during the driest months.
36The rest comes from smaller waterways that flow down the mountains.
37As the Ganges flows across the plains, its once clean water becomes dirty.
38The mineral-rich water begins collecting waste and pollution from the millions of people who depend on it.
39Millions of liters of waste products -- along with heavy metals, agricultural chemicals, human bodies, and animal remains -- enter the Ganges every day.
40This has made it one of the most polluted rivers in the world.
41Indian officials have tried to limit the pollution in some places,
42but large parts remain dangerously unhealthy.
43Still, to Hindus, the river remains religiously pure.
44Every year, tens of thousands of Hindus bring the bodies of their loved ones to be cremated at the Ganges, in the city of Varanasi.
45A Hindu who dies there or whose remains are destroyed by fire alongside it, is also freed from that cycle of birth and death.
46After Varanasi, the Ganges continues eastward through endless farmland as it nears the coast.
47It eventually splits off into ever-smaller rivers.
48The biggest of these rivers, the Hooghly, flows south toward the sea.
49It passes through Kolkata, the largest city in eastern India.
50Once known as Calcutta, the city is now home to nearly 15 million people.
51Finally, the Ganges River empties into the Bay of Bengal.
52For the end of this story, however, we travel back up to the Gangotri Glacier.
53There a Hindu holy man named Mouni Baba makes his home.
54He spoke with The Associated Press.
55"Human existence is like this ice," he said.
56"It melts and becomes water and then merges into a stream. The stream goes into a tributary which flows into a river and then it all ends up in an ocean. Some (rivers) remain pure while others collect dirt along the way. Some (people) help mankind and some become the cause of its devastation."
57I'm Jonathan Evans.
58And I'm Anna Matteo.
1More than 2,000 years ago, a powerful leader built a fortress on India's holiest river -- the Ganges. King Yayati set up the fort to help guard his territory. 2Today, ruins are all that remain of the old structure. The area along the Ganges River is now an industrial city called Kanpur. Workers there collect stones from the ruins to build simple homes. These shelters, called shanties, sit on top of what once was the king's fortress. 3The Ganges stretches over 2,700 kilometers across India. It begins high up in the Himalayan Mountains and eventually empties into the Bay of Bengal. 4The Ganges has seen empires rise and fall. It has seen countless wars, kings, British colonial rulers, independence, and the rise of Hindu nationalism as a political movement. 5In India, the Ganges is far more than just a river. It is religion, industry, farming, and politics. 6To Hindus, the Ganges is known as "Ganga Ma" - meaning Mother Ganges. It is the center of spiritual life for more than a billion people. Every year, millions of Hindu pilgrims visit temples and other holy places along the Ganges. The word "pilgrimage" means traveling to a special place for an important, often religious, reason. 7The river is a source of water for millions of people. To drink from the Ganges is to bring luck. For many Hindus, life is considered incomplete if they do not bathe in the river at least once in their lifetime. Its waters are believed to wash away sin. 8But all is not well with the Ganges. Pollution has left much of it dangerous to drink. Large amounts of untreated wastewater are being added to the river every day. Another source of pollution comes from water used by manufacturers of cloth and leather products. 9Criminal groups illegally remove sand from the riverside. They use it to feed India's seemingly endless need for concrete, a common building material. 10Hydroelectric dams were built along waterways emptying into the Ganges. These dams are needed to supply power to India's growing economy. But some Hindus are angry. They say the machinery has compromised the purity of the river. 11The Ganges starts at the Gangotri Glacier. Its ice provides almost half the river's water. Over the past 40 years, the ice has been melting at a frightening rate. The glacier is now shrinking about 22 meters every year. 12For thousands of years, the glacial ice melt has guaranteed that India's dry plains get enough water, even during the driest months. The rest comes from smaller waterways that flow down the mountains. 13As the Ganges flows across the plains, its once clean water becomes dirty. The mineral-rich water begins collecting waste and pollution from the millions of people who depend on it. Millions of liters of waste products -- along with heavy metals, agricultural chemicals, human bodies, and animal remains -- enter the Ganges every day. 14This has made it one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Indian officials have tried to limit the pollution in some places, but large parts remain dangerously unhealthy. 15Still, to Hindus, the river remains religiously pure. 16Every year, tens of thousands of Hindus bring the bodies of their loved ones to be cremated at the Ganges, in the city of Varanasi. A Hindu who dies there or whose remains are destroyed by fire alongside it, is also freed from that cycle of birth and death. 17After Varanasi, the Ganges continues eastward through endless farmland as it nears the coast. It eventually splits off into ever-smaller rivers. The biggest of these rivers, the Hooghly, flows south toward the sea. It passes through Kolkata, the largest city in eastern India. Once known as Calcutta, the city is now home to nearly 15 million people. Finally, the Ganges River empties into the Bay of Bengal. 18For the end of this story, however, we travel back up to the Gangotri Glacier. There a Hindu holy man named Mouni Baba makes his home. He spoke with The Associated Press. 19"Human existence is like this ice," he said. "It melts and becomes water and then merges into a stream. The stream goes into a tributary which flows into a river and then it all ends up in an ocean. Some (rivers) remain pure while others collect dirt along the way. Some (people) help mankind and some become the cause of its devastation." 20I'm Jonathan Evans. 21And I'm Anna Matteo. 22Altaf Qadri wrote this story for The Associated Press. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 23_______________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25empire - n. a group of territories or peoples under one ruler 26source - n. the beginning of a stream of water : someone or something that provides what is wanted or needed 27sin - n. an offense against religious or moral law 28leather - n. animal skin dressed for use 29hydroelectric - adj. of or relating to production of electricity by waterpower 30plain - n. a large area of flat land without trees 31cremate - v. to burn the body of a person who has died 32cycle - n. a set of events or actions that happen again and again in the same order : a repeating series of events or actions 33tributary - n. a stream feeding a larger stream or a lake 34devastation - n. great damage or destruction