The dumping of waste into the Ganges river has been banned by an Indian court.
India's top environment court has ruled that waste cannot be left within 500 metres of a heavily polluted stretch of the river.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) said the 500km (310-mile) stretch between Haridwar in Uttarakhand state and Unnao in Uttar Pradesh required urgent action.
Anybody who now disposes of waste in the river could be fined up to 50,000 rupees (£600; $775).
The orders are legally binding but can be challenged in the courts.
The ruling comes after the Supreme Court in India had earlier decided that a declaration from a High Court in Uttarakhand state, that the Ganges should have the same legal rights as humans, was legally unsustainable.