The Guru Nanak Dev
coal-burning power
plant in Bathinda, Punjab,
shut down in 2 017 after
43 years. It helped power
the state’s mammoth
irrigation needs, but it
also blanketed Bathinda
with coal ash, causing
nasal, eye, and respiratory
complaints and damage
to local ecosystems.
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A man bathes away
sin in the Ganges—amid
a swirl of marigold
offerings, plastic trash,
and fecal waste. The
river, sacred to Hindus
and a vital resource
to areas with large
populations and little
infrastructure, is one
of the most polluted
on Earth.
76 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC