http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution_of_the_Ganges http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution_of_the_Ganges By any reasonable measure, yes, almost every U.S. riv

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution_of_the_Ganges http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution_of_the_Ganges By any reasonable measure, yes, almost every U.S. river is substantially cleaner than almost every Indian river. Take fecal coliform bacteria. They grow in poop and they make people very sick. Western sanitation, for all its flaws, has largely solved the problem of coliform bacteria. The standard scoring for fecal coliform bacteria is the number of organisms found in a 100 ml sample. In the U.S., anything above 500/100 ml will close a beach or river for swimming. In the Ganges, the count ranges from 60,000 / 100 ml to 1.5 million (!) / 100 ml. [1] Compare to the Mississippi River near New Orleans, where the EPA found averages between 382 and 2,528 / 100 ml. [2] I'm sure there are other measures, but for the simple measure of "is this water safe to drink or bathe in," the Ganges really is one of the worst in the world. Improvements have been seen, but this isn't one where we can say "it's all the same." [1] http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/MG02Df01.html http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/MG02Df01.html [2] http://www.epa.gov/waters/tmdldocs/ms_riv_3fc_tmdlsfinal_mar28_2011.pdf http://www.epa.gov/waters/tmdldocs/ms_riv_3fc_tmdlsfinal_mar... (see page B-2)