Let's get investigative

Dear media colleagues,

You've probably noticed all the scary headlines in this month's issue. Those of us labouring in the fertile fields of journalism have every reason to sound the alarm.

Journalists are not mere observers of the Ganga disaster. We also have a professional obligation to find out what's going on. An enlightened public is then placed in a better position to crash through the firewall of political apathy. (Public pressure, in other words.)

The aim of our modest website is to provide media with Ganga-related articles and story ideas without charge. But some of these articles do need vigorous pursuing by national media, who have far better resources than we do.

Here's our own preliminary list of stories we'd love to see you investigate:

1. Why is deadly chromium being dumped along the banks of the river in Kanpur? Who's doing it? Names and addresses, please. While we're at it, which laws are being broken and who's supposed to be enforcing them? Again: names and addresses.
   
   
2. Why are so many government statistics about river pollution under wraps? Do have a word with the Central Pollution Control Board. If officials refuse to answer, go around to their homes at night, bring film teams, and knock on their doors. Better bring a bodyguard, too.
   
   
3. The fecal-coliform count in the Ganga at ritual bathing sites in Varanasi is up to 47,000 times the Indian standard for human bathing. Ask health authorities what they are doing about this.
   
   
4. The World Health Organization says an estimated 1.5 million Indian children die of waterborne diseases every year, with the Ganga alone supporting 40% of the population. As a nation heavily dependent on river water, what does the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Sushma Swaraj, plan to do? Where are the emergency health teams and camps? The nation responded wonderfully to the Gujarat earthquake. How about the suffering children in the Ganga Basin?
   
   
5. Ask the President of India to explain his vision for a clean Ganga. We think he has one.

Latest articles
The entire Indian river system is polluted. The Central Government knows this, but has failed to improve water quality. Journalist Rajat Banerji asks: why?

So who's in charge of river cleanups? Well, they call themselves the National River Conservation Authority. So far, they've done little, reports investigative journalist Shamya Dasgupta.

No less than 1.124 tons of solid waste chromium rim the banks of the Ganga in Kanpur and is entering the food chain. Who cares? Suparna Sharma has the story.

But the biggest pollution problem facing the Ganga consists of pesticides that accumulate and get magnified at every level of the food chain in the river's ecosystem. Before you eat fish, find out where it's from. Samir Kumar Sinha has written a comprehensive report.

A new type of green toilet developed in Germany eliminates the problem of disposal of urine and excrement. It's turned into fertilizer instead of being dumped into a river. Shamya Dasgupta, who wrote this report, was impressed.

A Swedish journalist visiting the great ghats of Varanasi didn't like what he saw. Cremations, he said, have become a tourist attraction. Ingvar Oja got depressed and left Varanasi earlier than planned after reading Rao, who said that "virtue does not grow easily in Banaras. And vice has no better place. For all come here to burn."

Our monthly interview with river campaigners explores some vital questions with Roger Choate and Dr. Amitayush Vyas, on leave as assistant professor of politics at Princeton University.And his monthly commentary, Dr. Vyas explores the spiritual nature of the great river.

1. River system totally polluted
2. Chromium disaster in Kanpur
3. Ganga struggling with pesticides
4. Ever tried the green toilet?
5. Didn't like the ghats
6. Interview with campaigners
7. Commentary: Timeless Bridge

More campaign news
The Campaign has announced that it plans to stage Clean Ganga Days in New Delhi and Kolkata in the next few months. The event will be modeled on Clean Ganga Day last March in Kolkata, which included a symposium of experts, manifestations by schoolchildren and cultural happenings in the evening at Millennium Park. Next year, a benefit concert will be staged, with proceeds going directly into the Campaign. Venue will be announced later.

Constant updating
We regularly issue new Ganga stories and photographs that are freely available for the media and anybody else.

We've just revised and updated our website categories. Check them out!

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Why not write for us?
We welcome riveting ideas and stories. Promising photos aren't out of place either. Thanks to our global audience, you can make your thoughts known.
Contact: rajat@cleanganga.com or amit@cleanganga.com

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Why not send money?
Mission websites like www.cleanganga.com cost money. In many countries, including India, your donation is tax-deductible. For further information, do contact: roger@cleanganga.com


Medical fund for child victims of Ganga pollution
An estimated 1.5 million children in India die of waterborne diseases each year, with the Ganga as the biggest culprit. The river supports 400 million people. Many diseases like diarrhea and skin rashes are easily controlled. Do contact ami@ideaforaction.org at the Savita Foundation in Lucknow for more information and contributions.