3. Water is typically referred to as polluted when it is
impaired by anthropogenic contaminants and either
does not support a human use, such as drinking
water, and/or undergoes a marked shift in its ability to
support its constituent biotic communities, such as
fish. Natural phenomena such as volcanoes, algae
blooms, storms, and earthquakes also cause major
changes in water quality and the ecological status of
water.

5.  Water pollution is a major global problem which requires
ongoing evaluation and revision of water resource policy
at all levels (international down to individual aquifers and
wells). It has been suggested that it is the leading
worldwide cause of deaths and diseases,[1][2] and that it
accounts for the deaths of more than 14,000 people
daily.[2] An estimated 700 million Indians have no access
to a proper toilet, and 1,000 Indian children die of diarrheal
sickness every day.[3] Some 90% of China's cities suffer
from some degree of water pollution,[4] and nearly 500
million people lack access to safe drinking water.[5] In
addition to the acute problems of water pollution in
developing countries, developed countries continue to
struggle with pollution problems as well. In the most recent
national report on water quality in the United States, 45
percent of assessed stream miles, 47 percent of assessed
lake acres, and 32 percent of assessed bays and
estuarine square miles were classified as polluted.[6]

7.  The Ganges is a the largest river in India
with an extraordinary religious importance
for Hindus. Along its banks are some of the
world's oldest continuously inhabited
places like Varanasi, Patna. It provides
water to about 40% of India's population in
11 states[1]. In the modern times, it is
known for being very polluted [2]. In
Varanasi alone, an estimated 2.9 billion
liters or more of untreated human sewage
is discharged into the Ganges daily,
although the existing infrastructure has a
capacity to treat only 1.1 billion liters per
day, leaving a huge deficit[1].

9.  Human waste
 The Ganges river basin is one of the
most fertile and densely populated in
the world and covers an area of
400,000 sq miles (1,000,000 sq km).
The river flows through 29 cities with
population over 100,000, 23 cities with
population between 50,000 and
100,000, and about 48 towns [3]. A
sizable proportion of the effluents in
Ganges are caused by this population
through domestic usage like bathing,
laundry and public defecation.

11.  Dams
 Built in 1854 during the British colonization of India, the
Haridwar dam has led to decay of the Ganges by greatly
diminishing the flow of the river. The Farakka Barrage
was built originally to divert fresh water into the Bhagirathi
River but has since caused an increase of salinity in the
Ganges, having a damaging effect on the ground water
and soil along the river [3]. Apart from this, Bangladesh
and India faced major tensions due to this barrage. The
government of India planned about 300 dams on the
Ganges in the near future and the tributaries despite a
government-commissioned green panel report that has
recommended scrapping 34 of the dams citing
environmental concerns. [7].

12.  Industrial waste
 Countless tanneries, chemical plants,
textile mills, distilleries,
slaughterhouses, hospitals contribute to
the pollution of the Ganges by letting
untreated wastes into it[4]. Industrial
effluents are about 12% of the total
volume of effluents reaching the
Ganges. Although a relatively low
proportion, they are a cause for major
concern because they are toxic and
non-biodegradable[1].

15.  Ganga Action Plan
 The Ganga Action Plan or GAP was a program launched
by Rajiv Gandhi in April 1985 in order to reduce the
pollution load on the river. The program was launched
with much fanfare, but it failed to decrease the pollution
level in the river, after spending 901.71 Crore (~190
million USD adjusting to inflation) [13][14]. The activities
of GAP phase I initiated in 1985 were declared closed on
31 March 2000. The steering Committee of the national
river conservation Authority reviewed the progress of the
GAP and necessary correction on the basis of lessons
learned and experiences gained from the GAP phase;
2.00 schemes have been completed under this plan. A
million liters of sewage is targeted to be intercepted,
diverted and treated. The Phase-II of the program was
approved in stages from 1993 onwards, and included the
following tributaries of the Ganges: Yamuna, Gomti,
Damodar and Mahananda. As of 2011, it is currently
under implementation.[15]

16.  National River Ganga Basin Authority
(NRGBA)
 NRGBA was established by the Central
Government of India, on 20 February
2009 under Section 3(3) of the
Environment Protection Act, 1986. It
also declared Ganges as the "National
River" of India [16]. The chair includes
the Prime Minister of India and Chief
ministers of states through which the
Ganges flows [17].

18.  Cities with sanitary sewer overflows or
combined sewer overflows employ one or more
engineering approaches to reduce discharges of
untreated sewage, including:
 utilizing green infrastructure approach to
improve stormwater management capacity
throughout the system, and reduce the hydraulic
overloading of the treatment plant[23]
 repair and replacement of leaking and
malfunctioning equipment[15]
 increasing overall hydraulic capacity of the
sewage collection system (often a very
expensive option).