The environmental cost of disposing the dead in the Ganga

This is the 11th edition of Thirty-six, The Morning Context’s weekly newsletter on countless ecosystems in flux across India.

Images of corpses lying around on the banks of the Ganga captured the media’s attention during the second wave of the pandemic. Critics said it was proof that Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath was playing down the spread of COVID-19 in the state. Indeed, even as the pandemic wreaked havoc on the lives of residents, the Uttar Pradesh government was busy mounting a PR offensive. It denied oxygen shortage in hospitals, built walls around crematoriums and refused to accept …

Author

Omkar Khandekar

Omkar specializes in long-form narrative features and has reported from India, the UK, Germany and the Maldives. He writes across beats, from politics and crime to cinema and sports. His works have been published in Indian and international outlets including The Caravan, Mint Lounge, the BBC, Al Jazeera and The Huffington Post.

Senior Features Writer

omkar@mailtmc.com

Delhi