Where does the Ganges begin and end?
The Ganges River starts at the Himalayan mountains where it collects water from the Gangotri glacier. From there it flows to the Bay of Bengal in eastern India and Bangladesh.
Which countries does the Ganges River flow through?
The Ganges River flows through 2 countries: India and Bangladesh.
Pollution in the Ganges
The Ganges River is one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Sewage, industrial waste and religious offerings wrapped in plastics contribute largely to this. Millions of people rely on the river for their daily needs like washing, bathing and cooking.
With 400 million people living by the river, it’s easy to understand how it has become so polluted. The high levels of pollution cause many illnesses that are transmitted through water. The pollution has also endangered some animals of the river.
What is very interesting about the Ganges is that studies have shown it decomposes (breaks down) organic waste (food and faeces) 15-25 times faster than other rivers around the world! That’s incredible.
Did you know?
- Man-made dams have affected the flow of water in the Ganges and made it hard for animals to continue living in the river, like the Ganges River dolphin.
- Something in the waters of the Ganges River prevents mosquitoes from breeding and when it is added to other water, it prevents them from breeding there too.
- The mouth of the River Ganges forms the world’s largest delta, known as the Sundarbans. A delta is a landform created by sediment that has been deposited by a river as it flows into slower water.
- The city of Varanasi along the Ganges River is a holy city where many Hindus travel to place the ashes of their loved ones in the river. In other areas, entire corpses are thrown into the water.
