India is facing a river pollution crisis today. The origins of this crisis are commonly traced back to post-Independence economic development and urbanisation. This book, in contrast, shows that some important early roots of India s river pollution problem, and in particular the pollution of the Ganges, lie with British colonial policies on wastewater disposal during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Analysing the two cornerstones of colonial river pollution history during the late 19th and early 20th centuries the introduction of sewerage systems and the introduction of...