India’s Sacred Rivers Now Have Human Rights

March 21, 2017

(Quartz) – For decades, India’s holy rivers have been massively polluted with sewage, industry chemicals, and pilgrims’ mass bathing as religious rituals. But they may get a new lease on life: In a landmark ruling on Monday (March 20), the high court in the northern state of Uttarakhand established two of India’s sacred rivers—the Ganga and the Yamuna—as “living entities,” the Hindustan Times reports. The new order makes polluting or damaging the rivers legally comparable to hurting a person.