The court has granted two rivers in the northern India, Ganges and Yamun, a legal status, declaring them “living entities”. It will allow the authorities to fight against pollution more effectively, AFP reports.

The high court in India's northern Uttarakhand state made such a verdict on Monday. "This situation requires extraordinary measures to preserve and conserve these rivers," the court said in its ruling.

Indians’ Ganges river, which is associated with many rituals, today is polluted by industrial wastes and sewages. From now, it will be possible to file a suit on behalf of these rivers. Environmentalists hope, that this symbolic ruling will help to fight against the pollution of rivers more effectively.