The Dirtiest Rivers In The World

pasig2
Credits: Photos by Rommelt69 on Flickr
pasig3
Credits: Photos by Manoi on Flickr
pasig4
Credits: Photos by Manoi on Flickr
pasig5
Credits: Photos by Barsvd on Flickr

Ganges river, India

More than 400 million people live along the Ganges River. An estimated 2,000,000 persons ritually bathe daily in the river, which is considered holy by Hindus. Being holy or not, but the river definitely not safe for people. It is filled with chemical wastes, sewage and even the remains of human and animal corpses which carry major health risks by either direct bathing in the dirty water or by drinking it.

ganges1
Credits: Photos by Mike Wright on Flickr
ganges2
Credits: Photos by Pjwar on Flickr
ganges3
Credits: Photos by Sailing Aqua Blue on Flickr
ganges4
Credits: Photos by Perfectdayjosep on Flickr
ganges5
Credits: Photos by Aali_cam on Flickr

Citarum river, Indonesia

I have never seen the pics of the river more dirty than Citarum. Frankly speaking I can’t even call it the river in the usual sense, but rather the river of rubbish. Quick industrial development over the last years resulted in the rise of untreated sewage, solid waste and industrial effluents. Nowadays you can see former fishers collecting plastic waste in the river for recycling, this is at least some way to get some money and still poor families use the river for bathing and laundry. In December of 2008, the Asian Development Bank approved a $500 million loan for cleaning up the river, the loan package will be delivered over the next 15 years.

citarum1
Credits: Photos by www.revbilly.com
citarium2-3
Credits: Photos by www.guardian.co.uk
citarium4-5
Credits: Photos by www.ecologicliving.ca

Yellow River, China

The Yellow River, with a total length of 5464 kilometers, is the second longest river in China, just next to the Yangtze River. It’s the main water supply for millions of people in northern China and it’s been officially stated that it’s heavily polluted by industrial waste and is unsafe for anyone to use. The discharge from factories has increased in recent years and water levels have dropped due to industrial and residential growth.

yellow1
Credits: Photos by Distantpeak on Flickr
yellow2
Credits: Photos by Distantpeak on Flickr
yellow3
Credits: Photos by Distantpeak on Flickr
yellow4
Credits: Photos by BingBoGraph on Flickr
yellow5
Credits: Photos by Variarts.china on Flickr

Riachuelo river, Argentina

The river which is 64 km long and which flows across 4 Buenos Aires municipalities is being polluted by over 3,500 factories operating on its banks, this is not taking into account numerous illegal sewage pipes running directly into the river.

The 64-km Matanza-Riachuelo River runs from western Buenos Aires into the Río de la Plata estuary, cutting across 14 Buenos Aires municipalities. According to official data of the previous years, about 35 percent of residents in the area have no access to potable water and 55 percent lack sewers. A report from the country’s ombudsman’s office described most of the pollution dumped in the river as untreated organic waste. We know what to expect next, if no steps are taken the river will become dead shortly. Thanks God, the government of Argentina has unveiled a comprehensive clean-up project and I truly hope that’ll work

riachuelo1
Credits: Photos by Puroticorico on Flickr
riachuelo2
Credits: Photos by Carlosar2000 on Flickr

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