In India, for example, more than 400 million people live along the highly polluted Ganges River.
FORBES: In China and India, Turbulence and Volatility Are Part Of The Bargain
But it's the Ganges river dolphin and the Irrawaddy dolphin which give the most cause for concern.
BBC: NEWS | South Asia | Bangladesh's majestic dolphins at risk
The Asian Development Bank regards as exemplary the 1996 agreement between India and Bangladesh for sharing Ganges river.
Yesterday morning, as per Hindu custom, the ashes from her cremated body were scattered in the Ganges River.
In Hindu cosmology, this is the area where Shiva first set foot on earth, where the Ganges River begins.
FORBES: A World's-Best Spa That Spoils You Silly: Ananda In The Himalayas
Many of these areas are found in Asia, such as the Ganges River Delta, the Mekong River Delta and islands in the South Pacific.
Situated on the banks of the Ganges River, Varanasi (formerly Benares) is visited by millions of Hindu pilgrims each year, most coming to cremate a deceased loved one and bathe themselves in the river's horrifically polluted but extremely holy waters.
An agreement in 1996 to share water from the Ganges river during the dry season has helped to improve relations with India, although Mr Vajpayee and Sheikh Hasina have so far been unable to agree to share water from another 50 rivers.
While Bangladesh currently supports relatively large populations of Ganges river dolphins and Irrawaddy dolphins, conservationists argue that it's crucial to address the threats they face now, while the potential for long-term survival of both species is still relatively high in comparison to other areas in Asia.
BBC: NEWS | South Asia | Bangladesh's majestic dolphins at risk
Thirty-five Harvard colleagues and I are at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, India, a mass pilgrimage in which tens of millions of Hindus gather to bathe at the confluence of the sacred Ganga (Ganges) River, the Yamuna River, and the mythical underground Saraswathi.
FORBES: Why a Harvard Finance Instructor Went to the Kumbh Mela
So the River Ganges appeared here in Mandakini's form - a tributary of Ganga.
Tens of millions of people - 30 million on the main bathing day on Sunday - bound by faith that a dip at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna river will get rid of their sins - throng the event.
BBC: Does the Kumbh Mela experience improve your well being?
It attracts an eclectic mix of Hindu holy men, Indian movie stars, pilgrims and curious tourists who come to bathe in the Ganges, India's holiest river, where drops of the nectar of immortality are believed to have been spilled from a pitcher by the gods at creation.
For 42 days starting on January 9th, the alignment of the stars makes Allahabad, where the Ganges, the Yamuna and a mythical third river converge, an especially holy place to be.
This newfound reptile appears to be the first known freshwater mosasaur, an animal comparable to modern river dolphins now seen in the Amazon, Ganges and Yangtze rivers.
应用推荐