The River Ganges is a river in India. It starts at its source in the southern Himalayas

factories near Kanpur regularly leak out and make the river unsafe for bathing a swimming in. However this is not all bad as the Ganges has a special type of Dolphin. The Ganges river dolphin is totally blind and their eyes have no lenses. They eat shrimp and fish which are found on the river bed. The Ganges River dolphin is an endangered species because humans hunt them for oil and meat. The Ganges used to have an important use in transporting goods around and between countries. However, the construction of railways and roads has meant the river is only used to transport local agricultural products mainly tea and grain. The river has a strong religious significance. The river was named after the goddess Ganga, the daughter of mountain god Himalayas. Hindus regard the river as the most holy river and when they die, they chose to have their ashes scattered onto the river bed because they believe it will send their souls to paradise. The water supply to the river depends on the rains brought by the monsoon winds from July to October and the melting snow from the Himalayas during April to June. The delta has strong storms before and after the monsoon season which can be devastating. In 1970 200 000 - 500 000 people died in these storms