Summit Gist

The Ganges River, India. Every day, around three million litres of sewage is emptied into the Ganges – and only about half of that has undergone any kind of treatment. The river’s waters are so dirty that it’s considered one of the most polluted waterways in the world. But there’s more than just sewage entering this river; waste from tanneries, chemical plants, textile mills, slaughter houses and even hospitals is dumped, untreated, into it. — Hindus also consider the banks of the Ganges to be one of the most auspicious places to die and be cremated. After cremation, the remains are placed into the river and left to float downstream. — Some bodies, such as those of young children, are never even cremated and instead are just wrapped in white cloth and sent on their way. In Varanasi, the holiest city along the banks of the Ganges, it’s estimated that 40,000 bodies are cremated every year. — Scientists have discovered ‘super bacteria’ living in the waters that are resistant to most forms...