Part 3/15:
Despite its revered status, the Ganga is now facing a severe existential crisis. Decades of unplanned urbanization, industrialization, and population growth have turned this sacred river into a toxic, dying stream. The pollution levels have reached alarming proportions, largely driven by untreated sewage, industrial effluents, and solid waste dumping. Recent reports indicate that a staggering 350 million liters of raw sewage flow into the river daily from over 118 cities and towns, with sewage treatment plants functioning at only a fraction of their capacity—merely 1 billion liters per day against a inflow of 4.8 billion liters.