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Faith meets science on Ganga's banks
Published on Tue, Oct 17, 2006 at 13:08, Updated on Wed, Nov 22, 2006 at 17:12 in India section
Tags: Faith In Progress, Religion , Varanasi
Varanasi: The evenings in Varanasi are a celebration of the city's special relationship with the River Ganga and the mornings are for holy dips and prayers.
Among the faithful is the Mahant (priest) of Sankatmochan Temple. However, Veer Bhadra Mishra is more than just a priest. He is the city's ecological conscience and is redefining his relationship with the River Ganga.
His crusade is for a clean river.
"95 per cent of the pollution is caused by point sources discharging domestic sewage that flow straight into the Ganga,” says Mishra.
There are over thirty point sources along the riverfront that discharge sewage into the Ganga claims Mishra.
According to a Banarsi legend, the River Asi marked the southern boundary of Varanasi and the poet-saint Tulsidas took his daily dip in that river.
However, the same River Asi today, is a giant sewer, dumping sewage incessantly into the Ganga, half a kilometer upstream of Varanasi.
Mishra wants these sewers to be completely diverted to a wasteland where the sewage can be treated.
He has written to the Government, but he is not sitting idle waiting for the Government to act. He is busy telling Varanasi's residents how their river is slowly dying.
The Government had recently started a laboratory in Varanasi after claiming that the Ganga Action Plan was successfully cleaning the river. A team of scientists test the water regularly to keep a tab on oxygen and bacteria levels in the river.
However, it has been an uphill task for faith can turn things on its head and it's a tough task convincing people that the river washing away their sins could itself be polluted.
"The main stumbling block in cleaning the river is the mindset of the people," admits Mishra.
For this mahant, who is also a hydraulic engineer by training, the mission is to bring faith and science together.
"There is a constant internal struggle and It pains me because I know how polluted the river is, but I cannot sever my relationship with the river," says he.
And the Ganga continues to flow under the watchful eyes of its champion, perhaps hoping that the next sunrise shall bring with it a better tomorrow.
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