A River Gone Dead

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The time when you are driving back from having shot your story is a tough one. You are left with images imprinted in your mind which are disturbing - and you feel guilty for walking away from the problem.

I have just finished a six-week period of shooting at various points at the Ganga. Our story involves documenting how filthy the river is. I have rashes all over and on most days I just throw up. Along with my cameraperson we have walked through sludge, garbage, animal carcasses. In the evening I call up our Investigations editor, disheartened and depressed at all I have seen through the day. Children working with bare hands, on the river bed amongst carcinogenic heavy metals like chrome and mercury, the gracious Egyptian vultures feeding on animal fat from the tanneries and an old man mixing wastes with water to make soaps.

My colleages Rohit and Shashi-try to boost my morale- The story has to be done, miserable a task as it maybe. Shashi, convinces me to go back and record some more visuals of the nauseating sights. Next day I am back holding my kerchief, silently going to the side and throwing up and then returning again to do my piece-to camera.

Our next stop is at a camp of migrant fishermen. Kanhaiya and his men have traveled all the way from Gorakhpur to this stretch along the Ganga. They live right on the banks with no roof over their heads for 10 months in a year-away from their families. As we share a meal of dal and rice, with them the men get only a few hours of sleep a day. Fish in the Ganga too are dying- the fishermen are out on the river for long hours trying to catch fish. Some fishermen tell us of instances of hauling in fish that has been poisoned from the toxic effluents of factories.

Over a 100 factories operate on the banks of the Ganga. All using highly carcinogenic metals. Crores of money have been spent on cleaning the Ganga. But our holiest river is still the filthiest. So filthy that in one village I am gheraoed by the women. Their children and husbands all have yellow pigmentation on their hands and legs. The tanneries are contaminating the waters. Tired of politicians promising to take action - I become the target of their anger.

Besides human beings there are other inhabitants in the river. There's the river dolphin, and turtles. And they are dying too. I followed the footprints of a river turtle for over a kilometer. A female she seems to have trudged all along the sandbanks to find an undisturbed spot to lay her eggs. Another stretch the river bank is strewn with carcasses of the dead turtles- sewage, effluents continue to be released untreated poisoning every life form.

It's shocking to see how much money has been spent on cleaning the ganga and yet how dirty it continues to be. Somehow as a people we just believe that nature no matter what will heal. In Hindu mythology it is believed that the Ganga has magical self-healing qualities. It's time now that the healing is done by humanity. The river Ganga and its silent denizens need some rest.