The Ganga River, revered as a goddess in Hindu culture, flows from the icy peaks of the Gangotri Glacier in the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. For centuries, it has been considered sacred, embodying purity and divinity. Hindus believe that the waters of the Ganga, or Ganga Jal, have the power to cleanse sins and purify the soul, making it a central element in rituals, ceremonies, and pilgrimages.
On one hand, we consider rivers sacred, but on the other hand, we exploit them with industrial waste, untreated sewage, and plastic debris. This has rendered many large water bodies unfit for both drinking and bathing. The Ganga River has not escaped this fate either; however, many people still believe that the water of the Ganga has self-cleaning properties, which are debatable. The Uttar Pradesh Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has told the Allahabad Court that the Ganga’s water is unfit for drinking.
However, a recent study by IIT-Kanpur challenges this notion for specific stretches of the river. The study tested the water from Gangotri to Rishikesh on 28 parameters set by the Bureau of Indian Standards and found it fit for drinking.
In such a context, a video has gone viral on social media claiming that the Holy water is indeed pure and fit for drinking. The video, shared by Ashu Ghai, puts the Gangajal he brought from Haridwar to the test. In the video, Ashu is seen collecting Ganga water (Gangajal) in a gallon. He begins by examining the water under a microscope but finds no visible impurities or microorganisms. To delve deeper, he takes the sample to a laboratory for professional testing.
Image Credit: Instagram/@ ashu.ghai
An expert at the lab confirms that even under a 40X microscope, no visible contaminants or organisms can be seen in the Gangajal. The expert then declares that the water will be cultured for a few days before testing it again. After a few days, the test report arrived and again confirmed the previous observation: the water was free from microorganisms, including Coliform. The video has since garnered more than 500k views with many people expressing astonishment in the comment section.
