The river Ganges is the most famous river in India and it is very important to Hindus Water is essential for life and Hindus believe that because it comes from God it is part of God. This is why rivers are so important to Hindus.

The river Ganges from above.

Bathing in the Ganges	Hindus from all over the world travel to India to bathe in the river Ganges and thousands of people wash in the river every day. Bathing is important to Hindus because they need to be clean to pray to God.

Unfortunately not many towns and cities have proper sewage treatment facilities and so human and animal waste is pumped straight into the river turning it into a sewer. Many people not only bathe in the river but also drink water from it. This makes them very poorly because of the germs in the water.