Fran Peavey | August, 2002

Dear Fran,
Please clarify your mission. If you do not take into your fold the surrounding towns and villages of Varanasi, I fail to understand how will you clean the river in Varanasi. Just building interceptor along the ghats is not the solution. Please explain. - Sanjay Kumar Srivastav (skusanjay@yahoo.co.in)

	Fran Peavey, center, is a founding member of the Campaign, for a Clean Ganga

Dear Friend Sanjay,
Surely I would agree that simply building an interceptor will not clean the river at Varanasi and an interceptor is not all that the Varanasi city plan calls for. The plan approved by the local authorities specifies that the interceptor intercepts all sewage outfalls along the full length of the river face of the city and carry the sewage to a large series of ponds acting as a treatment facility where algae digests the biological material so that the effluent becomes acceptable for bathing. Then the "clean" effluent can return to the river. Many of the elements of the Jal Nigam proposal like more sewers and sewage works in the Trans - Varuna area are excellent and are compatible with the Nagar Nigam proposal. We think it is preposterous to invest in more electric pumps and more sewage treatment of the kind already malfunctioning in Varanasi.

Ganga is a really remarkable river and in essence she cleans herself between cities. We have tested the water upstream of Varanasi and find it entirely adequate for bathing and for being treated for drinking purposes.

Wishing you all well.
Fran

Fran Peavey is one of the founding members of Sankat Mochan Foundation, which leads the Campaign for a Clean Ganga. She is also President of Friends of the Ganges USA