Journal

THE STAGES OF HIS JOURNEY, ONE RIVER AT A TIME. EXPERIENCE WITH ALEX EVERY DISCOVERY AND EVERY THRILL, FROM THE FIRST DAY TO THE LAST

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Indus

Indus river flows between India and Pakistan, in the Kashmir region which is also an area of strong political conflicts between the two countries. It has always played a role of primary importance for the irrigation of the land, severely tested by climate change and pollution.

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Indus river

Travel journal

The stages of our journey

Stage ended

Ganges

The Mother Goddess who purifies the faithful is far from enjoying good health herself. The Ganges is on the verge of death. Paradoxically, while she gives new spiritual energy to those who immerse themselves in her water to cleanse their sins, she risks spreading death instead.

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Ganges in Varanasi
Stage ended

Great Pacific Garbage Patch

A mass of plastic waste has accumulated in the sub-tropical ocean vortex of the Pacific Ocean holding around 80,000 tons of debris. An artificial island made up of trillions of pieces of plastic is growing year after year.

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Pacific Garbage Patch
Stage ended

Pearl River

Industrial and domestic wastewater, everything is dumped into the river. So much that some parts of its course have become dark and murky. It definitely no longer has the lustre its name suggests. Chinese authorities are devising immediate solutions.

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Pearl River
Stage ended

Nile

The longest river in the world has given rise to and supported ancient civilizations, the cradle of modern-day cultures. Today, heavy metals and petroleum agents are detected in its water. This is an enormous problem for the seven African countries which the Nile crosses.

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Nile
Stage ended

Po

E il fiume più lungo d’Italia, ma non è vissuto come un fiume nazionale. Attraversa quattro regioni e per un lungo tratto ne demarca il confine. Ogni città, ogni singolo territorio, da Torino a Ferrara, sente come proprio il solo pezzetto prospiciente, come se a monte o valle non gli appartenesse, finendo per essere acqua di nessuno.

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Hai He

This river is part of the waterways near Beijing. Several years ago, a chemical plant on its shores released toxins that caused thousands of dead fish to wash up on its banks. This must be a wake-up call for the Chinese authorities.

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10 rivers 1 ocean – Hai He river

Yellow River

The Yellow River once supported the agriculture of a large part of China with its waters' extraordinary fertilizing properties, rich with sediments called loess. But today it has become a dump for paint factories.

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10 rivers 1 ocean – yellow river

Yangtze

The Yangtze was named for the proverbial (one-time) clarity of its water. Some stretches of its course have been certified by UNESCO as a cultural heritage landscape. But, today, it is threatened by hydraulic projects and industrial waste.

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10 rivers 1 ocean – Yangtze

Amur

Seven hundred kilometers of this river marks the border between Russia and China. About ten years ago, it had the dishonour of making the news for an environmental catastrophe: a benzene spill from a petrochemical factory. And the river has kept on being polluted since.

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10 rivers 1 ocean – Amur river

Mekong

Indochina's main river is the major site of electricity production, as more and more dams are built and hundreds of industrial complexes pour toxins into its water. The 1,200 fish species populating the Mekong are at risk.

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Mekong delta

Niger

The Niger gave its name to two of the countries it crosses — Nigeria and, of course, Niger. Now it is at risk of disappearing. The water of the river is fiercely contested for fishing because it irrigates cattle pastures, and it is also in danger from industrial sewage.

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Niger