Part 4/15:
The pollution is exacerbated by the presence of high chemical and organic waste, particularly from industrial hotspots like Kanpur, home to the largest concentration of tanneries. These leather-processing units release toxic chemicals into the Ganga over two decades, posing grave threats to aquatic life and human health. The biological oxygen demand (BOD), a key indicator of water pollution, remains dangerously high at many monitoring sites, revealing the river's alarming decline in health.