Shivanand Saraswati

Only One in Ten Ganges Stretches Showed Consistent Improvement

More than a decade after Narendra Modi made cleaning the Ganges a government priority, Bloomberg’s investigation finds uneven results from the $4.5 billion effort: treatment plants have improved conditions in some places, but pollution remains widespread. Satellite analysis of nearly 2,000 kilometers of the river found consistent improvement in only about one in ten stretches, while independent tests found water exceeding bathing standards in Kanpur. The government says it has made remarkable progress; the reporting documents continuing sewage and industrial discharges amid rapid urban growth.