Soon, Varanasi to get drinking water at 50 paisa per litre

Under the technology, contaminated water from Ganga will be converted into pure drinking water at a nominal cost. The proposed plant, to be set up within three months, will produce around 8,000 litres of pure drinking water daily.

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Sulabh has already established similar plants at three districts of West Bengal — North 24-Parganas, Murshidabad and Nadia districts — where trials have proved to be successful.

“Now, we will replicate the facility at Assi Ghat,” said Pathak who visited the ghat Thursday morning.

“We are going to approach government agencies and district administration to give us permission to set up the plant around Assi Ghat. It is not a commercial venture and I wish to dedicate it to the people of Varanasi,” Pathak added.

The facility, worth Rs 20 lakh, will be set up by Sulabh with its own funds.

“For the first time in the world, we have succeeded in producing pure drinking water at a very nominal cost and the common man may directly benefit,” Pathak said.

“Once completed, villagers and local NGOs will maintain the plant. It will be a self-sustainable project with active participation from villagers… It will also generate employment,” he added.
“The invention is the result of a joint venture of Sulabh with French organisation ‘1001 Fontaines’. Be it river or pond water, it can be purified and made consumable,” said Jha.

He added: “Sulabh and 1001 Fontaines had launched the project in Bengal a few months ago. The installation cost of each machine was Rs 20 lakh, which was shared between the French organisation, Sulabh and local villagers.”