However, you will now have to shed off that thought. For the first time, Institute of Microbial Technology (Imtech) in Chandigarh has come ahead with scientific evidence that the water of Ganga cannot be easily putrefied.

New viruses or bacteriophages have been discovered in Ganga's water which mimic bacteria in the sediment of the river and eat them up. In fact, the scientific world is astonished by the antiseptic properties of waters of Ganga river.

A British physician, E HanburyHankin had observed earlier in 1896 that while cholera microbes thrived in distilled water, they died within three hours in Ganga water. The incident remained hypothetical till date.

Now, Imtech, one of the CSIR's laboratories, has clarified with the discovery of new viruses in its water. The study reveals the presence of 20-25 microorganisms in Ganga which can fight diseases like tuberculosis, pneumonia, cholera and urinary tract infection, among others.

Dr ShanmugamMayilraj, the senior principal scientist at Imtech, said, "We analysed the viral metagenomes in sediments of the Ganga and found different types of phages." He mentioned that sediments consist of several novel viruses which are never mentioned before.

These microorganisms are active against certain bacterial strains and can be efficiently used against multidrug resistant infections. The Imtech team had collected samples of water from the highly polluted stretch between Haridwar and Varanasi.