Cleaning up the River Ganga

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NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 16, 2002: The sacred river Ganga which flows more than 2,500 kilometers through India is in dire need of attention. According to this article pollution levels at certain ritual bathing areas are 3,000 times the level safe for human beings. Two organizations, one headquartered in India called the Campaign for a Clean Ganges, and one London-based organization called the Thames 21, have collaborated to make steps to the solve the problem. Thames 21 has experience in this area from working to clean up the River Thames in southern England. Mark Lloyd of Thames 21 said, “Interim measures such as banning the use of plastic bags and stopping the dumping of human and animal carcasses into the river could lessen its pollution.” Leading the Campaign for a Clean Ganges, Mr. Shantanu Misra has proposed an economical and safe system to initiate a clean-up on the River Ganga that flows through Varanasi. The system called Advanced Integrated Wastewater Oxidation Pond system has been used successfully in the U.S. Simply stated the plan moves sewage, pesticides, heavy metals and other impurities by the force of gravity into ponds where the water can be treated.