A Taiwanese man has gone viral after taking water from India’s Ganges River home as a souvenir, only to discover it had become heavily contaminated within a month.
The man, who travelled to India in March, filled two plastic bottles with water from the sacred river before returning to Taiwan. However, weeks later, he noticed the bottles had developed visible impurities and were teeming with unknown substances.
After sharing his experience online, netizens quickly raised health concerns, pointing out that the Ganges River is known to contain high levels of pollution. The river is often associated with religious practices, including the immersion of cremated remains, while also receiving domestic and industrial waste — leading to dangerously high levels of bacteria such as E. coli.
Many users also criticised the man’s handling of the situation, warning that improper disposal of contaminated water could pose a public health risk. Some urged him to contact health authorities, while others suggested boiling the water before discarding it to prevent potential contamination.
Amid mounting backlash, the man later updated that he had flown back to India to return the water to the Ganges River, apologising for causing alarm.
He also shared that his Indian friends had advised him to return the water quickly, citing local beliefs that the river is spiritually significant and that taking water away could symbolically carry the spirits of the deceased.
