Kolkata, March 11 (IANS) A leading American researcher, known for her extensive work on wastewater management issues, lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Clean Ganga' campaign on Wednesday but warned against ineffective implementation agencies such as the Jal Nigam (water utility corporation).
"The fact the prime minister is bringing attention to that is great, but if you are still going through the same institutions such as the Jal Nigam... they haven't proven themselves in the last 20 years to be very effective... so why are you going to throw the money at them," said Kelly D. Ally, a professor of anthropology, at Auburn University, in the US.
Alley has carried out research in northern India for over 20 years, focusing on public culture and environmental issues.
She has authored books such as 'On the Banks of the Ganga: When Wastewater Meets a Sacred River' that explore Hindu interpretations of the sacred river Ganga in the light of environmental problems.
"There hasn't been any institutional change. It's a complicated political issue because the Jal Nigam is a state agency. Many of us are critical of their work," she said.
Some of her other publications include 'Water Wealth and Energy in the Indian Himalayas' and 'The Developments, Policies and Assessments of Hydropower in the Ganga River Basin' among others, a result of her work in the Brahmaputra basin and in Varanasi.
Observing that "the situation is really bad now" in Varanasi, Alley said the use of alternative sources of energy is essential to push waste water management technologies along the Ganges.
"We have to be creative. The new government is talking about solar, so more of these clean energies would be good," she said, adding that scientific expertise is necessary.
"You would have to have a complete different system. There were some media reports about decentralising the waste water management system in Varanasi and some other places also that you would have in some neighbourhoods like some smaller collection and treatment facilities but I haven't seen anything exact about that," she added.
Corona virus: what to eat if your body loses virus
With which medicine will the coronavirus-borne epidemic ie Covid-19 outbreak end? Researchers from all over the world are working hard to find the answer to this question.
Corona soared 82 days in 5 days in India, today China will also leave behind
Coronavirus India Update: As of Thursday, total cases of corona virus infection in India increased to 82,085. Of these, 27,686 patients have now recovered completely after treatment. 2,646 patients
Active cases in the country cross one lakh again: WHO warning - the epidemic is not over, infection increases again in 110 countries
The ever-increasing new cases of corona in some states of the country have raised concern. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the risk of an epidemic is low, but the
Aam Budget 2022-23 Session: The budget session of Parliament will start from January 31, work may be done in shifts due to Corona
The date of the budget session of Parliament has been announced amid the increasing corona infection in the country. The budget session of Parliament will begin from January 31. It is being told that
Passenger plane crashes in Lake Victoria in Tanzania: Plane crashed just before landing, 19 killed
The plane sank in Lake Victoria in Tanzania on Sunday. 19 people are reported to have died in the accident. 49 passengers were present in the plane, out of which 23 people have been rescued.
SSC Constable Recruitment: Last date to apply for more than 1400 posts is today, hurry up
SSC Recruitment 2022: If you are working hard day and night in preparation for a government job and are looking for a better opportunity, then that opportunity has come in front of you. Staff
NEET UG 2023: Odisha's self got 8th rank, 12-13 hours of hard work, and NCERT books gave success
The National Testing Agency (NTA) released the result of NEET UG on Tuesday. Prabanjan J from Tamil Nadu and Bora Varun Chakraborty from Andhra Pradesh have topped the exam with 99.99 percentile
ICC Test Rankings: Babar Azam at career-best ranking, Shaheen Afridi surpasses Jasprit Bumrah
Pakistan captain Babar Azam is just a few steps away from becoming the number one batsman in all three formats. Babar, who is setting a new record every day on the cricket field, has now secured the
The global mechanism will have to be created to control currency like Cryptocurrency: Nirmala Sitharaman
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday called for action at the global level for the ever-changing technology and effective regulation of mobile payment systems. He said that as of now,
The second wave of Corona in India will wreak havoc? These figures of Europe and America are giving testimony
The second wave of the Coronavirus has started in India. At present, there are signs of the second wave of Coronavirus in Maharashtra itself, but if there are similar horrific conditions of
