India Gives Ganges & Yamuna Rivers Same Rights As Humans In Bid To Fight Pollution

20 March 2017

 -Two rivers in India have been given the status of living entities in order to save them from further harm caused by pollution. The waterways are considered sacred by Hindus, who believe them to have miraculous healing powers.

The High Court in the northern state of Uttarakhand declared the Ganges (also known as the Ganga) and Yamuna Rivers and their tributaries “legal and living entities having the status of a legal person with all corresponding rights, duties and liabilities” in the Monday ruling.

The ruling by Judges Rajeev Sharma and Alok Singh gives the rivers human status, meaning that harming or polluting them comes with the same consequences as harming a person.