safe to bathe at the ghats?

branchazel · Jul 16th, 2009, 21:17

got given a guide book to india yesterday
and it says you shouldn't bath in the ghats because of all the human bodies (parts!)/chemicals/heavy metal dumped by factories upstream etc etc
is this true?
it would be the first place we would be going to and i guess i wouldn't want to get sick or anything like that so soon..

am now considering just not going to varanasi at all since the main reason for going there was the ghats and i realised i will see some in mumbai anyway..

Chandra · Jul 16th, 2009, 21:22

I personally would give the bathing a miss, but the ghats in Varanasi can't be compared to any other place, I think. Just walking along them, sitting down for a chai, watching the people bathing, praying, working, walking, meditating, getting scammed

, simply enjoying the atmosphere is well worth the trip. An early morning boat trip is a great experience as well.

Nick-H · Jul 16th, 2009, 21:28

It's a place I'd like to see one day, though I'm not sure if I'd love it or hate it, but if and when I do, I'm staying out of the river!

namaste_cat · Jul 17th, 2009, 01:16

No no no, cannot compare Mumbai to Varanasi on the ghat aspect or really much else either for that matter! Totally different.

Chandra is absolutely right - it is a wonderful experience to enjoy the ghats in Varanasi without getting into the water. It is beautiful around twilight and dawn, those are my fav times there but really a boat ride is lovely too.

As a Hindu, I have never bathed in the Ganges, and don't ever plan to, come what may! If that makes me a bad girl, so be it, no way no how am I stepping in there

delhiwala · Jul 17th, 2009, 01:35

Both namaste_Cat and Chandra are right !

The river is so dirty that I didn't even dip my hands in it leave alone bathing.

I read a statistics somewhere, that Ganges at Varansi has 1000s times more coliform Bacteria (shit worms in plain English) than the permissible limit. Then there are Heavy Chemicals and other pollutants too......

Just do a boat ride at early morning and take a walk at the ghats. If you are a solo woman, it's advisable not to stay at Ghats till late as many drug addicts and Marijuana users gather there at night !

bjp · Jul 17th, 2009, 02:41

namaste_cat

you just put some on your head. Or you can go to Rishikesh or somewhere high where it's clean enough.

btw...they sell ganga jal here, my friend's mother bought some, I'm not sure what they do with it.

Anyway, it's up to you....the whole ocean is ganga, because ganga has been flowing into the ocean forever. ...Then again, the problem is that the sea here has too much poo in it.

branchazel · Jul 17th, 2009, 02:48

yeah i've decided to go in the end
but will only stay for a couple of days and out of the water :-P

are there any other must-do's there?

whats ganga jal btw? some holy water or something?

bjp · Jul 17th, 2009, 02:54

Ganges water.

"must-do's"...Just relax.

You could to the burning ghats and see how bodies are disposed of. ..Can only do you good.

PS: Throw the guide book away! Waste of time, believe me. Just go. This forum is better than any guide book anyway.

Buy bottled water, eat from street food, not restaurants, wash your hands before you eat, you won't get sick. Take wet wipes.

hfot2 · Jul 17th, 2009, 03:06

When you take a shower at your hotel, you are probably bathing in water drawn from the Ganga which is presumably (hopefully) filtered.

What to do? Walk the ghats for days and always see something different. Take an early morning (or anytime) boatride. Don't be tricked by the men who say you should contribute to help the poor buy wood for their cremations - the money may, or may not, go where they say it will.

Walk around anywhere in Varanasi - it is like no other city.

distaff half of hfot2

Darmabum · Jul 17th, 2009, 03:41

During my last stay in Varanasi, February through July of 2006, and, my second six month stay in Varanasi I came to a conclusion: there are two Ganga's: the Western one and the Indian one. From my morning perch at Tulsi Ghat (next to the Swat Ganga Research Institute - that posts water quality information on a chalkboard near it's front door) I was well aware of the Western Ganges, the one that is measured in parts per million. From that same perch I was more than well aware of the Indian Ganges, swimmers and bathers could be seen along a several kilometer stretch of river.
When it came time for me to bathe, and I did numerous times, though on the eastern shore of the river, it was the Indian Ganges, perhaps the mythical/mystical Ganges that I chose to bathe in. Many, many times in the river without problem.
There are no ghats like those in Varanasi, no city like Varanasi.

federica · Jul 17th, 2009, 04:22

This question reminds me of a report I've seen once. It was about a hydrologist who took his daily bath in the Ganges. His words:

"As a scientist I wouldn't recommend doing that as the water is highly polluted, as a believer I'm doing it for the spiritual purpose and I feel it is good for me"

HDBoy · Jul 17th, 2009, 04:52

Found the following news from Bihartimes.

Patna, June 3 The Bihar government has earmarked Rs.1,000 crore (Rs.10 billion) for an ambitious project to save river Ganga from pollution by cleaning up the drains that empty into it here.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar late Tuesday said that untreated sewage and garbage would not be allowed to go into the river.

"The state government is working on a Rs.1,000-crore project to save river Ganga from pollution," Nitish Kumar said at a function to celebrate Ganga Dussehra.

"We are committed to do everything to keep the river pollution free," he said.

Speaking at the same function, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said a Rs.1,000 crore project was also being signed for the renovation of the outdated and outworn sewerage systems in Patna.

The project was delayed due to the Lok Sabha elections last month.

Last year the state government had approached Enviroway, a Canadian company in collaboration with Asian Development Bank to clean up the city's drains.

Enviroway told government officials to introduce biochemical treatment methods to clean the drains that will be cost effective and eco-friendly.

Ganga is highly polluted despite being considered sacred by Hindus. About 30 large drains here discharge about 190 million litres of untreated sewage and garbage into the the river every day.

Tested samples of the water revealed a high presence of coliform bacteria. "Garbage is dumped into the river, contributing to the growth of the bacteria," a scientist said.

A latest research has revealed that Ganga water is unfit for agricultural purposes also.

A joint team of army and air force officers had completed a journey from Allahabad to Patna through the river route Last year.

Members of the team said they were shocked at the filthy condition of the riverbanks, the garbage dumping and the flow of untreated sewage water into the river.

"We came across dozens of half-burnt bodies and corpses floating in the river. We also came across animal carcasses and heaps of polythene bags," a team member said.

According to an estimate of the environmental science department of A.N. College here during the river's 2,510-km-long journey from Gaumukh to the Bay of Bengal, nearly 1 billion litres of untreated sewage gets disposed into the river.

Over Rs.8 billion has been spent in the last three years to clean up many Indian rivers, but major ones like the Ganges and the Yamuna continue to be polluted. Most of the money was spent on cleaning the drains that empty into the rivers by setting up sewage treatment plants and sanitation facilities.

bjp · Jul 17th, 2009, 16:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by hfot2

When you take a shower at your hotel, you are probably bathing in water drawn from the Ganga which is presumably (hopefully) filtered.

It's strained; I woudn't call it filtered. It's recycled. It gets strained when it's pumped into the water tanks that feed the showers, then the outflow from the showers goes back into the river. So does the sewerage. So I don't know whether or not you're cleaner after you've showered than before.

bjp · Jul 17th, 2009, 16:16

Quote:

A joint team of army and air force officers had completed a journey from Allahabad to Patna through the river route Last year.

Members of the team said they were shocked at the filthy condition of the riverbanks, the garbage dumping and the flow of untreated sewage water into the river.

"...We also came across...heaps of polythene bags," a team member said.

Where have they been?

Yes, in some places there is so much chemical pollution that the water can't be used for agriculture anymore.

branchazel · Jul 17th, 2009, 23:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by hfot2

When you take a shower at your hotel, you are probably bathing in water drawn from the Ganga which is presumably (hopefully) filtered.

What to do? Walk the ghats for days and always see something different. Take an early morning (or anytime) boatride. Don't be tricked by the men who say you should contribute to help the poor buy wood for their cremations - the money may, or may not, go where they say it will.

Walk around anywhere in Varanasi - it is like no other city.

distaff half of hfot2

heard the boatrides are real expensive though, right?
whats a reasonable price?

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjp

It's strained; I woudn't call it filtered. It's recycled. It gets strained when it's pumped into the water tanks that feed the showers, then the outflow from the showers goes back into the river. So does the sewerage. So I don't know whether or not you're cleaner after you've showered than before.

is this the same in all other parts of india?
i mean the dirty shower water
surely can't be too good for you to be showering in that kind of water...
backpacked quite a bit and have lived/gone to quite dirty places but i guess i never faced probs with getting clean water..

Jul 16th, 2009, 21:17	#1
branchazel Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: hong kong Posts: 57	safe to bathe at the ghats? got given a guide book to india yesterday and it says you shouldn't bath in the ghats because of all the human bodies (parts!)/chemicals/heavy metal dumped by factories upstream etc etc is this true? it would be the first place we would be going to and i guess i wouldn't want to get sick or anything like that so soon.. am now considering just not going to varanasi at all since the main reason for going there was the ghats and i realised i will see some in mumbai anyway..

Jul 17th, 2009, 01:35	#5
delhiwala IM what IM Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Indeyah ! Posts: 4,813	Both namaste_Cat and Chandra are right ! The river is so dirty that I didn't even dip my hands in it leave alone bathing. I read a statistics somewhere, that Ganges at Varansi has 1000s times more coliform Bacteria (shit worms in plain English) than the permissible limit. Then there are Heavy Chemicals and other pollutants too...... Just do a boat ride at early morning and take a walk at the ghats. If you are a solo woman, it's advisable not to stay at Ghats till late as many drug addicts and Marijuana users gather there at night ! __________________ Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone. - The Dhammapada

Jul 17th, 2009, 03:41	#10
Darmabum On the Road, wherever I am Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: in the mountains of Idaho . . . now the red-rock plateau of southern Utah Posts: 1,109	During my last stay in Varanasi, February through July of 2006, and, my second six month stay in Varanasi I came to a conclusion: there are two Ganga's: the Western one and the Indian one. From my morning perch at Tulsi Ghat (next to the Swat Ganga Research Institute - that posts water quality information on a chalkboard near it's front door) I was well aware of the Western Ganges, the one that is measured in parts per million. From that same perch I was more than well aware of the Indian Ganges, swimmers and bathers could be seen along a several kilometer stretch of river. When it came time for me to bathe, and I did numerous times, though on the eastern shore of the river, it was the Indian Ganges, perhaps the mythical/mystical Ganges that I chose to bathe in. Many, many times in the river without problem. There are no ghats like those in Varanasi, no city like Varanasi. __________________ Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure - Marianne Williamson

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Jul 16th, 2009, 21:22	#2
Chandra Compulsive India traveller Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Oslo/Trondheim, Norway Posts: 229	I personally would give the bathing a miss, but the ghats in Varanasi can't be compared to any other place, I think. Just walking along them, sitting down for a chai, watching the people bathing, praying, working, walking, meditating, getting scammed , simply enjoying the atmosphere is well worth the trip. An early morning boat trip is a great experience as well.

Jul 16th, 2009, 21:28	#3
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,189	It's a place I'd like to see one day, though I'm not sure if I'd love it or hate it, but if and when I do, I'm staying out of the river!

Jul 17th, 2009, 01:16	#4
namaste_cat Kashmiri-Punjabi Sherni Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Amreeka Posts: 940	No no no, cannot compare Mumbai to Varanasi on the ghat aspect or really much else either for that matter! Totally different. Chandra is absolutely right - it is a wonderful experience to enjoy the ghats in Varanasi without getting into the water. It is beautiful around twilight and dawn, those are my fav times there but really a boat ride is lovely too. As a Hindu, I have never bathed in the Ganges, and don't ever plan to, come what may! If that makes me a bad girl, so be it, no way no how am I stepping in there

Jul 17th, 2009, 02:41	#6
bjp Jai Sri Radhe Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Durban, South Africa. Posts: 183	namaste_cat you just put some on your head. Or you can go to Rishikesh or somewhere high where it's clean enough. btw...they sell ganga jal here, my friend's mother bought some, I'm not sure what they do with it. Anyway, it's up to you....the whole ocean is ganga, because ganga has been flowing into the ocean forever. ...Then again, the problem is that the sea here has too much poo in it.

Jul 17th, 2009, 02:48	#7
branchazel Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: hong kong Posts: 57	yeah i've decided to go in the end but will only stay for a couple of days and out of the water :-P are there any other must-do's there? whats ganga jal btw? some holy water or something?

Jul 17th, 2009, 02:54	#8
bjp Jai Sri Radhe Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Durban, South Africa. Posts: 183	Ganges water. "must-do's"...Just relax. You could to the burning ghats and see how bodies are disposed of. ..Can only do you good. PS: Throw the guide book away! Waste of time, believe me. Just go. This forum is better than any guide book anyway. Buy bottled water, eat from street food, not restaurants, wash your hands before you eat, you won't get sick. Take wet wipes.

Jul 17th, 2009, 03:06	#9
hfot2 MemberS Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Vermont Posts: 647	When you take a shower at your hotel, you are probably bathing in water drawn from the Ganga which is presumably (hopefully) filtered. What to do? Walk the ghats for days and always see something different. Take an early morning (or anytime) boatride. Don't be tricked by the men who say you should contribute to help the poor buy wood for their cremations - the money may, or may not, go where they say it will. Walk around anywhere in Varanasi - it is like no other city. distaff half of hfot2

Jul 17th, 2009, 04:22	#11
federica Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Bavaria Posts: 1,774	This question reminds me of a report I've seen once. It was about a hydrologist who took his daily bath in the Ganges. His words: "As a scientist I wouldn't recommend doing that as the water is highly polluted, as a believer I'm doing it for the spiritual purpose and I feel it is good for me"

Jul 17th, 2009, 04:52	#12
HDBoy Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: America Posts: 40	Found the following news from Bihartimes. Patna, June 3 The Bihar government has earmarked Rs.1,000 crore (Rs.10 billion) for an ambitious project to save river Ganga from pollution by cleaning up the drains that empty into it here. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar late Tuesday said that untreated sewage and garbage would not be allowed to go into the river. "The state government is working on a Rs.1,000-crore project to save river Ganga from pollution," Nitish Kumar said at a function to celebrate Ganga Dussehra. "We are committed to do everything to keep the river pollution free," he said. Speaking at the same function, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said a Rs.1,000 crore project was also being signed for the renovation of the outdated and outworn sewerage systems in Patna. The project was delayed due to the Lok Sabha elections last month. Last year the state government had approached Enviroway, a Canadian company in collaboration with Asian Development Bank to clean up the city's drains. Enviroway told government officials to introduce biochemical treatment methods to clean the drains that will be cost effective and eco-friendly. Ganga is highly polluted despite being considered sacred by Hindus. About 30 large drains here discharge about 190 million litres of untreated sewage and garbage into the the river every day. Tested samples of the water revealed a high presence of coliform bacteria. "Garbage is dumped into the river, contributing to the growth of the bacteria," a scientist said. A latest research has revealed that Ganga water is unfit for agricultural purposes also. A joint team of army and air force officers had completed a journey from Allahabad to Patna through the river route Last year. Members of the team said they were shocked at the filthy condition of the riverbanks, the garbage dumping and the flow of untreated sewage water into the river. "We came across dozens of half-burnt bodies and corpses floating in the river. We also came across animal carcasses and heaps of polythene bags," a team member said. According to an estimate of the environmental science department of A.N. College here during the river's 2,510-km-long journey from Gaumukh to the Bay of Bengal, nearly 1 billion litres of untreated sewage gets disposed into the river. Over Rs.8 billion has been spent in the last three years to clean up many Indian rivers, but major ones like the Ganges and the Yamuna continue to be polluted. Most of the money was spent on cleaning the drains that empty into the rivers by setting up sewage treatment plants and sanitation facilities.