Indian court declares 2 rivers as 'human entities'

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI, India

A court in northern India has declared two rivers as “living entities”, complete with their own rights and values.

This is the first time in India that such a status has been bestowed upon a river.

A bench of Uttarakhand High Court declared Ganga and Yamuna rivers as “living entities” late Monday, a decision that was widely reported by the local media Tuesday.

A few days back, a similar “living entity” status was also granted to the Whanganui River in New Zealand.

The Indian court’s decision over the rivers -- considered as sacred by the Hindu community -- came following a public interest litigation filed by a Muslim man, Mohammed Salim.

The bench comprising Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Alok Singh observed that rivers Ganga and Yamuna must be declared living persons in order to “protect the recognition and faith of society”.

The court also allowed Namami Gange Project director-general, Uttarakhand state chief secretary and advocate general the right to represent the Ganga river.

“Now both the sacred rivers -- Ganga and Yamuna -- will be treated as human beings,” MC Panth, who represented petitioner Salim in the court, said.

Polluted rivers

The Namami-Gange project is an ambitious project launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clean and conserve the rivers.

The court order now allows complaints to be filed in the name of the two rivers, which is worshipped by millions of Hindus in India.

The Ganga, which is world’s third-largest river, is considered the holiest river by Hindus. But the river is also one of the most polluted river in the world with sewage water and industrial waste flowing directly into it.

Whereas, the Yamuna is the largest tributary river of the Ganga. It passes through various states in north India before merging with the Ganga. It is considered as the second-most polluted river after Ganga in India.

The state governments of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have often been criticized for their failure to control pollution in these two rivers.