THE PROBABLE FULFILLMENT OF A HOPE ON THE GANGES CLEAN-UP

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THE PROBABLE FULFILLMENT OF A HOPE ON THE GANGES CLEAN-UP

H ope is the essence of survival, in life whenever and wherever one is facing problems. One may refer to the references, at the end of this article, getting aware of the Ganges pollution problems, and the tried and undergoing remedies thereof, so far. There are also, so many other sources, via informative documents, images, videos, etc., on the Web, in this regards, but the hoping statement, as underlined, at the end of the following description on the "Solutions to Problems" is making the undersigned hoping in turn, that probably,the fulfillment of the hope could be predicted, based on the development activities currently going on

(http://janickibioenergy.com/,) Turning threats into opportunities; that is to say that, untreated raw sewage could become a wealth; an energy source:
http://web.bryant.edu/~langlois/ecology/gangessolutions.htm

Solutions to Problems


Pollution in the Ganges River occurs daily when civilians from all over come to bath in the most sacred river in India. Cremated bodies, sewage from factories, and occasionally a dead animal float around in the river on a daily basis. Because the river is known as a sacred healing body of water, people who have sicknesses and diseases bathethemselves hoping that it will cure them. Others who go into the polluted river do it because of tradition, especially Hindu priests.


Over the years not much has been done to try to clean up the unsanitary Ganges River. The efforts that have been made have either made it worse or not even worked at all! The city of Varanasi, in India, has begun many groups to help clear up the river and make it clean to bath in once again.

Veer Bhadra Misra, a head priest at the Sankat Mochan temple, founded the Sankat Mochan Foundation. The foundation gives awareness on the need to protect the Ganges River. The foundation had come up with a few ways to try to clean the river up. The plan involves a 4-mile pipeline to intercept all the sewage that would normally flow in to the Ganges from the Varanasi area. The pipeline would then extend another 4 miles to an elevated sandbar in the Ganges where a series of ponds would cleanse the waste using microorganisms to destroy the bacteria. The government has already spent about $33 million to build a plant that would help with the huge sewage problem.


The problem with this new idea of using a pipeline to clean the water is the fact that it used electric-powered pumps to pump the water through to clean it. When the power goes out, the town regained all the polluted water right back, and was even more than there was before! That idea was thrown out a couple of years after it was applied.

Another attempt at cleaning the water has started a couple of years ago. The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) is in effect, and will be about a seven-year process. The first phase of this plan had failed, and the people hope that the second phase will be effective. The civilians are sure it will fail ifelectric-powered pumps like the other clean-up ideas run it.

Hopefully over the upcoming years the awareness of the polluted Ganges River will increase. The more inventions thought up on how to clean the river the better, so that the people who consider the river sacred can at least bath in a river that is just as pure as its reputation.


http://www.africanwater.org/ganges_map.htm

Cool Stuff To Know

N ow, one may hope this problem might be thought of as a wealth, if opting for the proper technology; turning threats into opportunity.

S ince ancient time, in the history, humans are benefiting from cow dung / animal dung energy, via burning it as a fuel, here and there, world around, in spite of the unhygienic process thereof:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dung_cakes

Dung Cakes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

L ikewise, in the current era, not only animal dung, but human wastes could be also converted into biogas, through anaerobic digestion, in a hygienic process, which it is referred thereto, on the following link, among other processes:

=========================
http://www.fluxfarm.com/uploads/3/1/6/8/3168871/sewage_sludge_as_a_biomass_resource_for_the_production_of_energy.pdf
========================

Energy & Fuels 2008, 22, 9–15
Sewage Sludge as a Biomass Resource for the Production of Energy:
Overview and Assessment of the Various Options†
==========================
Out of which one can read:
========================
Very briefly, the various options for the recovery of energy
from sewage sludge, in fact, from the organic compounds in
the sludge, can be subdivided into nine groups: (1) Anaerobic
digestion of sewage sludge, (2) Production of biofuels from
sewage sludge, (3) Direct production of electricity from sewage
sludge in microbial fuel cells, (4) Incineration of sewage sludge
with energy recovery, (5) Co-incineration of sewage sludge in
coal-fired power plants, (6) Gasification and pyrolysis of sewage
sludge, (7) Use of sludge as an energy and raw material source
in the production of Portland cement and building materials,
(8) Super-critical wet oxidation of sewage sludge, and (9)
Hydrothermal treatment of sewage sludge.
Several of these treatment options are already applied in
practice; others are still in the research phase.

===================

Out of the above 9 options for the recovery of energy from sewage sludge, option no. 4 is now materialized via a process developed by "Omni Processor ," http://janickibioenergy.com/, through the funding of Mr. Bill Gates (https://www.linkedin.com/groups?followedItems=&gid=4108717.) However, initially it is thought that the prototype, currently under field trial, in Senegal (Omni Processor, S-100; Dakar, Senegal - Spring 2015,) could have applications in Africa, where dealing with human feces is a great hygienic problem, but, other than certain African countries, there could be more applications thought of, elsewhere, such as on the Ganges river banks, and similar polluted rivers worldwide, among other applications.

The following discussion, was posted, in this regards, as well, by the author on the linked-in, covering broader application of the process worldwide:

https://www.linkedin.com/grp/post/855897-6002015164050784260

"COULD A NEW TECHNOLOGY, SUCH AS OMNI-PROCESSOR ALLEVIATING THE COMBINED-SEWER SYSTEM'S PROBLEMS, IF PROVED ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE AND MEETING A FAVORABLE LIFE-CYCLE GREENHOUSE-GAS EMISSIONS EFFECT, IN COMPARISON TO COMPETING PROCESSES."

======================

Likewise, it was once thought of, and probably it is still being followed-up, that the untreated sewage, entering the Ganges river, in the Varanasi area, being blocked and to be delivered to certain anaerobic lagoons, for further treatment; on which a comment has been posted thereon, as follows:

A COMMENT FOR THE CURRENT MANAGEMENT OF " Sankat Mochan Foundation, http://cleanganganow.org/:"
The project concept initialized by the late prof. Veer Bhadra Mishra, through consultation with international bodies, in which - envisaged a 4-mile pipeline to intercept all the sewage that would normally flow into the Ganges from the Varanasi area. The pipe line would then extend another 4 miles to an elevated sandbar in the Ganges, where a series of ponds would cleanse the waste using microorganisms to destroy the bacteria. Now, the idea could be modified, in line with the advantages and disadvantages remarks, discussed on the following document, since the proposed ponds are the same, as anaerobic lagoons; as well as opting for the present new technology, mentioned above:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_lagoon
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Anaerobic lagoon
=================

The facts discussed on this document, are quite convincing to opt for the new technology, as proposed, in using the sludge as a fuel, producing potable water, electricity and ash to be used as fertilizer
(http://janickibioenergy.com/. )

REFERENCES:
NOTE 1: Those interested in finding out the present pollution condition, now, in 2015, in the Ganges river, may refer to the following link:
http://www.business-standard.com/article/specials/ganga-water-quality-plunges-despite-rs-986-cr-spending-over-30-years-115060100338_1.html
================
NOTE 2: Also information about Ganga action plan is provided on the following link:
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/resourcesquality/watpolcontrol.pdf
=================
Water Pollution Control - A Guide to the Use of Water Quality Management Principles
Edited by Richard Helmer and Ivanildo Hespanhol
Published on behalf of the United Nations Environment Programe, the Water Supply &
Sanitation Collaborative Council and the World Health Organization by E. & F. Spon
© 1997 WHO/UNEP
ISBN 0 419 22910 8
Case Study I* - The Ganga, India
======
Best regards,

Mashallah Ali-Ahyaie

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