Ferryman Abdul Karim, 72, performs evening prayer on his boat in the Buriganga river near the Sadarghat area of Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 27, 2023. The Buriganga, or the 'Old Ganges', is so polluted that its water appears pitch black, except during the monsoon months, and emits a foul stench through the year. The South Asian nation of nearly 170 million, with about 23 million living in Dhaka, has about 220 small and large rivers and a large chunk of its population depends on rivers for a living and transport. Untreated sewage, by-products of fabric dyeing and other chemical waste from nearby mills and factories flow in daily. Polythene and plastic waste piled on the riverbed have made it shallow and caused a shift in course. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain SEARCH "HOSSAIN BURIGANGA POLLUTION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Employees work inside a factory that washes and dyes textiles in Dhaka, Bangladesh, April 8, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain SEARCH "HOSSAIN BURIGANGA POLLUTION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Mohammad Jahid (R), 47, has iftar, the fast-breaking evening meal of Ramadan, on a boat along with other ferrymen, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 27, 2023. The Buriganga, or the 'Old Ganges', is so polluted that its water appears pitch black, except during the monsoon months, and emits a foul stench through the year. The South Asian nation of nearly 170 million, with about 23 million living in Dhaka, has about 220 small and large rivers and a large chunk of its population depends on rivers for a living and transport. The devastation of areas like Buriganga comes into greater focus in the run-up to Earth Day, when people worldwide celebrate and mobilise in support of protecting the environment. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain SEARCH "HOSSAIN BURIGANGA POLLUTION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A factory worker poses for a picture as he carries jeans in Dhaka, Bangladesh, April 8, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain SEARCH "HOSSAIN BURIGANGA POLLUTION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Siddique Hawlader, 45, eats a meal on his boat alongside his fellow ferrymen on the Buriganga river in Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 29, 2023. The Buriganga, or the 'Old Ganges', is so polluted that its water appears pitch black, except during the monsoon months, and emits a foul stench through the year. "Those who bathe in this river often suffer from scabies on their skin," said Hawlader, who lives close to the riverbank with his wife and six-year-old daughter. "Sometimes our eyes itch and burn." REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain SEARCH "HOSSAIN BURIGANGA POLLUTION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Factory workers wash and dry jeans in Dhaka, Bangladesh, April 8, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain SEARCH "HOSSAIN BURIGANGA POLLUTION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

People cross the Buriganga river by boat near the Sadarghat area in Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 28, 2023. The Buriganga, or the 'Old Ganges', is so polluted that its water appears pitch black, except during the monsoon months, and emits a foul stench through the year. The South Asian nation of nearly 170 million, with about 23 million living in Dhaka, has about 220 small and large rivers and a large chunk of its population depends on rivers for a living and transport. Untreated sewage, by-products of fabric dyeing and other chemical waste from nearby mills and factories flow in daily. Polythene and plastic waste piled on the riverbed have made it shallow and caused a shift in course. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain SEARCH "HOSSAIN BURIGANGA POLLUTION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Ferryman Siddique Hawlader (2nd-R), 45, rides his boat on the Buriganga river in Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 29, 2023. The Buriganga, or the 'Old Ganges', is so polluted that its water appears pitch black, except during the monsoon months, and emits a foul stench through the year. "Those who bathe in this river often suffer from scabies on their skin," said Hawlader, who lives close to the riverbank with his wife and six-year-old daughter. "Sometimes our eyes itch and burn." REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain SEARCH "HOSSAIN BURIGANGA POLLUTION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

White foam is formed in the water as ferryman Abdul Karim, 72, rides his boat in the Buriganga river near the Sadarghat area in Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 27, 2023. The Buriganga, or the 'Old Ganges', is so polluted that its water appears pitch black, except during the monsoon months, and emits a foul stench through the year. The South Asian nation of nearly 170 million, with about 23 million living in Dhaka, has about 220 small and large rivers and a large chunk of its population depends on rivers for a living and transport. Untreated sewage, by-products of fabric dyeing and other chemical waste from nearby mills and factories flow in daily. Polythene and plastic waste piled on the riverbed have made it shallow and caused a shift in course. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain SEARCH "HOSSAIN BURIGANGA POLLUTION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Ferryman Siddique Hawlader, 45, applies soap as he bathes in the polluted water of the Buriganga river in Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 28, 2023. The Buriganga, or the 'Old Ganges', is so polluted that its water appears pitch black, except during the monsoon months, and emits a foul stench through the year. "Those who bathe in this river often suffer from scabies on their skin," said Hawlader, who lives close to the riverbank with his wife and six-year-old daughter. "Sometimes our eyes itch and burn." REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain SEARCH "HOSSAIN BURIGANGA POLLUTION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Shanta (L), 19, who has worked in the factory for six months, makes jeans alongside other workers in a factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 29, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain SEARCH "HOSSAIN BURIGANGA POLLUTION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.