Today congested cities are causing another grave problem due to the large quantities of waste water generated by them. We have failed to deal with this problem, as demonstrated by the failure of the Ganga Action Plan.

The government is continuing to favour high cost foreign technologies that aim to treat sewage only up to the secondary stage, and are failing to do achieve even this, due to lack of power, insufficient pondage, poor maintenance etc.. Fortunately natural techniques for the treatment of waste water have been successful in this sub-continent. Utilising five such technologies, Paani Morcha, a Delhi based NGO has designed 'Eco-Parks' for the treatment of highly toxic urban sewage up to the tertiary stage. Some foreign agencies have seen merit in these proposals and have offered to set up such projects. However, our authorities are still enamoured by the high capital and maintenance cost mechanical plants that are less efficient, and are highly dependent on power. Since the latter is unreliable in most of India, much of the sewage flows by untreated.

Open Sewage