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Montana State University research about pollution in the Ganges River has reached the Supreme Court of India, producing some optimism among MSU scientists who study the 1,500-mile river.
“It’s nice to know that our work is being recognized by a government institute in India and being presented at the highest level,” said Steve Hamner, research associate in microbiology. “Lots of things get done judicially in India.”
The Ganges River is considered a goddess, but Tim Ford, head of MSU’s microbiology department, said it has become a soup of pollution.
“It’s a beautiful river. It’s just really mucked up,” he commented.
The river contains untreated sewage, cremated remains, chemicals and disease-causing microbes, the researchers said. Cows wade in the river. People wash their laundry in it and drink from it. Ford said the Ganges has become the kind of place where genetic material could transfer between pathogens and create new pathogens.
