Jamal - News Opener (#1) Welcome to India Live, your news source for the sub-continent. I’m Jamal, anchoring tonight with Lakshmi. Our top story: The River Ganges Across India, environmentalists battle a tide of troubles to clean up the river worshiped as the source of life

Lakshmi--Story Opener (#2) For more than thousands of years, the River Ganges has been revered by millions in India as a symbol of spiritual purity. Originating in the frozen heights of the Himalayas, the river travels 1,600 miles across the plains of the subcontinent before flowing east into Bangladesh and then spilling into the Bay of Bengal.

Jamal--Reporter Lead-in (#3) "Mother Ganga" is described by ancient Hindu scriptures as a gift from the gods; that is, the earthly incarnation of the deity Ganga. Reporting from the sacred city of Varnasi is Anushka and Arjun.

Anushka (#4) Good morning. I’m in Varnasi, one of the most sacred cities in all of India. The importance of the River Ganges is found in the words of Lord Vishnu who proclaimed, “Man becomes pure by the touch of the water, or by consuming it, or by expressing its name." And now, Arjun.

Arjun (#5) For some time now, this romantic view of the Ganges has collided with India's modern, rather grim realities. During the past three decades, the country's explosive growth, industrialization and rapid urbanization have put unyielding pressure on the sacred stream. At nearly 1.2 billion people, India's population is second only to China's. For now, back to Jamal and Lakshmi

Lakshmi (#6) To tell us more about this troubling story, we turn to environmental scientists, Dr. Rama and Dr. Mishra. What are some of the problems with the River Ganges?

Dr. Rama (#7) In a nutshell: The river is severely polluted. Sewage from homes is dumped directly into the river; it has doubled since the 1990s. Deceased animals are dumped in the river. Cremated remains of humans are put to final rest in the river. People bathe, do laundry and clean dishes in the river every day. My friend and colleague, Dr. Mishra, can tell us more about the dangers this presents.

Dr. Mishra (#8) In Varanasi, India's most sacred city, the coliform bacterial count is at least 3,000 times higher than the standard established as safe by the United Nations and World Health Organization

Jamal (#9) Dr. Rama, what is coliform bacteria?

Dr. Rama (#10) Coliform are rod-shaped bacteria that are normally found in the colons of humans and animals and become a serious contaminant when found in the food or water supply. If someone has too many coliform in their body, they get very ill, with diarrhea. They can even die from dehydration. Babies are most at risk.

Lakshmi (#11) To tell us more, we now go back to Arjun and Anushka in Varanasi with an activist working to clean up the Ganges.

Arjun (#12) Thanks, Lakshmi. I’m with Rakesh Jawal. Tell us how you became interested in this issue.

Rakesh (#13) One day in the early 1990s, while studying for my doctorate in environmental politics, I opened the tap at home and found black, thick, stinking water coming out. After one month, it happened again, then it was happening once a week, then daily. My neighbors experienced the same thing.

Arjun (#14) That’s disgusting! Rakesh, you investigated and made a horrifying discovery: two drains carrying raw sewage, including contaminated discharge from a tuberculosis sanitarium, were emptying right beside the intake point.

Rakesh (#15) That’s right. Fifty million gallons of water a day were being lifted and sent to the water- treatment plant, which couldn't clean it.

Anushka (#16) Jamal and Lakshmi, the problems don’t stop there. I’ve got a Hindu priest here with me who will explain why this problem is even worse than what we’ve heard so far.

Hindu Priest (#17) Thank you, Anushka. As all Hindus know, the River Ganges is sacred. It is considered the source of all life. It is especially important for all Hindus to come to the river. They want to touch the water, rub their bodies in the water, sip the water. Sadly, someday they will die because if it.

Anushka (#18) What is thought the source of life is taking thousands of lives each year. Back to you Jamal and Lakshmi.

Jamal (#19) Thank you for reporting from the field on this critical religious, health and environmental issue. To finish our story we bring you this photo essay. Good night…