New Delhi, January 28, 2026: A shocking video demonstrating the contamination levels in the river Ganga has gone viral on social media, reigniting debates about the state of India's holiest river.
The video was shared by British biologist and television presenter Jeremy Wade around January 26, 2026, via the Instagram account rivermonsters_official, leaving viewers stunned by the alarming results of a simple water quality test.
In the video, Wade conducted a chemical test to detect contaminants in Ganga water. "My container is primed with chemicals that will change colour if there are unseen contaminants. Pink means the river's clean; anything else spells trouble," he explained.
After testing mineral water as a control sample, Wade then tested water from the Ganga. The result was drastically different: the Ganga water changed color, indicating the presence of fecal coliform bacteria, suggesting contamination with human waste.
Despite this disturbing revelation, the video shows Wade accepting an invitation from a holy man to bathe in the river. While describing the water as “soft and squishy” and noting floating debris, he attempts to follow the ritual. He concludes, "I'm actually feeling quite good. I really do feel refreshed and set up for the day. Whether I get a dose of dysentery or worse, remains to be seen."
The visuals in the viral video are said to be from Wade's documentary series "River Monsters," produced for Animal Planet and aired from 2009 to 2017. The show followed Wade’s global investigations into myths and legends of freshwater dangers.
A 2016 study revealed that the Ganga receives at least 2.7 billion cubic meters of sewage from medium and large cities every day, of which at least 74 percent remains untreated.
The river also suffers from non-point source pollution caused by uncontrolled faecal sludge disposal, open defecation, and agricultural pollution, including livestock waste.
Social media users have expressed shock and anger at the video. One user commented, "The documentary is from 2018, outdated info. In 2026, it will probably be worse and nobody is talking about it."
Another urged immediate government action: "The government should enforce strict laws to clean the river."
Several users suggested educational initiatives, calling for public and school programs on proper waste disposal practices to prevent direct contamination of the river.
Many commenters criticized the government for alleged mismanagement of funds allocated for the Clean Ganga campaign. "People blame the government for swindling crores of rupees in the Clean Ganga campaign, but this is the reality. Pollution be it air, water, or land is rampant in India," one user wrote.
1. Mateo-Sagasta, Javier, and Vinod Tare. Ganga Water Quality: Dirty Past, Promising Future? 2016. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315707310.
(Rh/VK)
