Steam Center Blog

Today the daily newspaper - Times of India - described an excellent plan to revive India’s rivers by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev of the Isha Foundation. The plan involves planting trees for up to one kilometer on either side of rivers. Applying an engineers mind to the proposal, this author is adding some more suggestions and clarifications for consideration and debate in this note in brief bullet form: The center-line of the river may be used to measure the one kilometer distance, and demarcation pillars similar to road distance signs at similar spacing may be put at this one kilometer point with a twenty feet wide paved road running along the length on either side. The road will help to make the demarcation permanent as well as serve to maintain the area and facilitate movement for villagers and others living nearby. As suggested by Isha foundation, existing farms falling within these limit may plant fruit orchards only whereas in v...

Ma Ganga in Varanasi W ith increasing population the once pure river Ganges has become a highly polluted river. The current government is seized with the problem. This note contains two brief suggestions towards this end. The solutions are such that they can be implemented within a year with low expenditure to purify the sacred river. The Problem of Religious Waste Many religious items are discarded in the Ganges after religious ceremonies because to discard such items in flowing water that lead to the oceans is the most respected way. However, these are also causing pollution therefore a method is suggested here that will preserve both the purity of Ma Ganga and religious sentiments as well. The solution is to install incineration plants on the banks of the river in religious towns so that the items are first pulverized and then incinerated before the ashes and pulverized materials are discarded in the Ganges through a continuous conveyor belt system. The system i...