A video showing a woman dumping pooja waste, including a plastic bag, on the banks of the Ganga in Rishikesh has gone viral on social media, sparking widespread outrage. The clip was shared on Instagram by foreigner woman, Sierra Liliann, who said she witnessed the act while sitting by the river. She said that the incident took place at Sai Ghat in Rishikesh.
In the video, a woman can be seen digging a shallow hole in the sand and burying pooja waste, including items such as plastic. Liliann said she tried to question the woman about her actions, but was ignored.
“I love India, but sometimes I feel hopeless,” she wrote. Describing the incident, she added that it was troubling to see people polluting the Ganga despite revering it. “What sense does it make to come pray to Ganga Maa and then leave your waste here?” she wrote.
Liliann also said that such behaviour is not limited to older generations. “From my years living in Rishikesh, I can say from firsthand experience that young people are continuing these same habits,” she noted, pointing to what she described as a lack of respect for shared spaces and sacred places.
“I’m tired of it. I’m tired of going to Ganga Aarti and watching aunties pull huge plastic bags out of their purses, full of artificial religious waste, and dump it into Ganga Maa without a second thought,” she said.
Liliann further expressed frustration over not being taken seriously when raising the issue. “Even when I confront people, no one takes me seriously because I’m a foreigner,” she wrote, adding that she often sees people disposing of religious waste, including plastic, directly into the river during rituals. “I’m a joke to them for wanting them to stop polluting Ganga Maa just because I’m not from this country,” she said.
“I love India so much. But honestly, sometimes I feel completely hopeless,” she concluded.
(Also Read: Vlogger slams people dragging heavy trolley bags on newly opened Rishikesh glass bridge: ‘Zero civic sense’)
Social media reactions
Several social media users echoed Liliann’s concerns, criticising the practice of disposing of pooja waste in rivers.
One user wrote, “I hate the belief that all pooja waste should be thrown into the river instead of a dustbin. People have been conditioned to see it as sinful to dispose of such items in the dustbin, and as a result, they end up polluting rivers out of fear-based beliefs. In reality, harming a river is the real sin.”
“It’s so painful to see people polluting our sacred places. May our planet heal,” commented another.
A third user added, “It deeply hurts to see this in India specially in Rishikesh. Ganga Maa is not just a river, she is sacred a source of life, purity, liberation, and divine energy. The growing crowds in Rishikesh, the loss of peace among people, and the increasing trash only deepening the pain for locals and true seekers. This is not what such a sacred place deserves. thank you for making this video keep going Ji. Not everyone has the courage to stand up and raising awareness for what truly matters.”
“This isn’t devotion — it’s pollution. Throwing garbage in the name of religion is not faith, it’s blind ignorance. No belief asks you to destroy nature,” commented one user.
