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Old buildings add to pollution in Ganga
poor sanitation and unhygienic conditions raise concerns Source: Times of India, Varanasi, Date: , 2009

Walking along the long stretch of platforms along the
Chausatti Ghat, on the way to famous Dashashwamedh Ghat in the city, one may
come across a number of old buildings that are directly discharging their
sewerage into the holy Ganga.
While poor sanitation and unhygienic conditions on most ghats have raised
eyebrows in the past, poor maintenance of old buildings has also started
attracting attention of the visitors, mostly foreign tourists.
If the sewage system of the hotel was enough to raise eyebrows- with at least
two exit points directly into the Ganga- the adjoining houses in dilapidated
conditions with ruptures and cracks in the walls and ceilings were also raising
concern.
In some of the buildings, especially near Rana Mahal Ghat, plastic pipes were
laid at more than half a dozen points that also allowed seepage due to
leakages. In addition, cemented pipes (witnessing cracks at many points) were
also laid along some of the ghats, flushing out sewage and filth from the
buildings.
As per estimate, over 500 old buildings (more than 80 per cent of them
belonging to trusts including Vijayanagaram, Rana Uday Pratap, Rani Bhawani,
Ahilyabai and other emperors and rulers in different states) on 105 ghats are
already over a century old.
The Varanasi Nagar Nigam that looks after the maintenance and demolition of old
buildings for safety reasons has also prepared a list of more than 100 buildings
(mostly near the ghats) in the city. Executive engineer, VNN, UN Tripathi said
while some of the buildings (around dozen in numbers) have been demolished last
year, others are witnessing either stay from the court or conflicts between
owner and tenant.
Also, a number of old buildings have been converted into lodges or hotels to attract tourists (mostly foreign tourists), who prefer the view of
the Ganga during their stay in the city.
(The picture file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported,Wikimedia Commons,to be reused freely)
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