Source: Safi, Michael. “Ganges and Yamuna Rivers Granted Same Legal Rights as Human Beings.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 21 Mar. 2019, www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/21/ganges-and-yamuna-rivers-granted-same-legal-rights-as-human-beings.
Abstract: The title sounds absurd, but the Ganges river is sacred to over 1 billion people. It is continuously used for waste disposal and human bathing. By giving a river the same rights as human beings, polluting or harming the river in any way will equal harming another person. A court in northern India cited a river in New Zealand, which about a week prior, was given human rights(Article Below). India took the idea from New Zealand and ultimately implemented more laws surrounding the rivers because of the pure number of people that rely on the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.
Reaction: It is interesting to see how impactful one body of water can be to a nation and its people. It seems that in other countries, water rights are being taken more seriously than the United States, at least on the legal side. Although the U.S. has not given any body of water human rights, we have implemented more regulations surrounding the use and overuse of water(Tragedy of the Commons). As we look at water rights around the world, there are many different approaches to controlling the distribution of water.
I think it is a positive thing that we are treating a river with the same respect we give to humans. After all, a body of water like the Ganges River provides water and ecosystem services to thousands of humans and other organisms, not to mention its sacred status. I have seen pictures and videos of the way locals treat the river, parts of it have become horrifically polluted due to waste disposal and bathing. Although it may seem crazy, we should be treating these important natural resources with respect, and if protecting them means giving them human rights, we should do so.
I think that more rivers need to be strictly monitored like the Ganges River is now being monitored. There are plenty of rivers all over the world that are polluted due to human activity. It is extremely difficult to limit the pollution of a water source without strict laws, and I think that treating a river with human rights gives the river the laws it needs. We should do that in the US for rivers like the Mississippi.