Sacred and Profane Uses of the Ganges

Geilt posted an interesting blog entitled, "Worship- Imposing Vanity on the Supreme Being" where he pointed out the self-serving function of ritual (that is, the divine does not need it, we do it for ourselves). Swami Agnivesh's comment regarding the religious component of pollution in India's famous holy Ganges River, which he made at the Climate Week (TckTckTck) event I attended came to mind (see article).  Water is considered a sacred natural element in so many of the world's religious traditions and often plays a central role in ritual.
In Daoism water is considered the strongest of the natural elements because it embodies  the principle of wu-wei (non-action): it is strong because it yields incessantly. Water is often revered for its ability to cleanse, to embody, to carry intentions and prayers in its flow.
 However, in many cultures the sacred and profane use of water is complicated by the fact that one source is used for both functions. This issue is illustrated in the case of the Ganges River, which is the source of spiritual liberation as well as the community bathing and laundry site and the drain for industrial runoff.

Here is a photo of the Ganges taken from my hotel room in Varanasi,

Swami Angivesh (Arya Samaj) calls for the refurbishing of Hindu rituals such as the Asthi Visarjan Ceremony, where one's ashes are scattered in the Ganges as a final act of moksa, or liberation. Many partially cremated bodies are thrown into the river and this is a cause of pollution as well as an example of the misunderstanding about how to revere the spiritual power of the river known as Mother Ganges.
Other Hindu leaders, especially the coalition of Hindu leaders known as Save Ganga Movement, do not identify ritual pollution of the Ganges as the central problem, and point instead to the governmental lack of regulations regarding dams and industrial waste pollution.
There is a need to recontextualize the way humans treat non-human nature in both ritualized and non-ritualized contexts, which both serve their own ends.

Please share your thoughts, comments, or any relevant news on this subject in the comments section below.