There are many, many things and activities polluting India’s rivers. When it comes to Ganga, among the biggest culprits, according to this film (above) are tanneries.

Filmmaker Helle Severinsen shows us how 19th century British tanneries have been contaminating the river. The water they pump into the Ganga is a poisonous cocktail of chemicals.

The Indian Express has reported that the UP government favours shifting these tanneries. For a horrifying look at the effects of the dumping of lethal waste on the river and on the people living nearby, just watch the video.

For all the rhetoric about cleaning India’s best-known river, clearly not enough is being done when it comes to results.