The Ganges is a lifeline to millions who live along its course.[4] It is a most sacred river to Hindus,[5] and worshiped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism.[6] It has been important historically: many former provincial or imperial capitals (such as Patliputra,[7] Kannauj,[7] Kara, Kashi, Allahabad, Murshidabad, Munger, Baharampur, Kampilya and Kolkata) have been located on its banks.The Ganges is threatened by pollution, the danger this poses is not only to humans, but also to animals, among which are more than 140 fish species, 90 amphibian species, reptiles such as the gharial, and mammals such as the South Asian River Dolphin, the last-mentioned two included in the IUCNs critically endangered list.[8] The levels of fecal coliform bacteria from human waste in the river near Varanasi are more than a hundred times the Indian governments official limit.[8] The Ganga Action Plan, an environmental initiative to clean up the river, is considered a failure,[a][b][9] which is variously attributed to corruption, a lack of will in the government, poor technical expertise[c] and environmental planning,[d] and a lack of support from religious authorities.