Ganges under threat from climate change The river Ganges holds deep religious and ritualistic significance for India's million of Hindus. But climate change is endangering the holy river, reports Jasvinder Sehgal. The sun is setting in Rishikesh, an Indian city in the Himalayan foothills. Hundreds of people have converged on the banks of the Ganges to sing hymns in praise of the goddess of the sacred river. One group sits around a pyre to perform the yajna — a religious ritual carried out every evening for centuries to thank the river for flowing. The air is heavy with the aroma of cow dung cake, butter and sandalwood incense.