'Acche din' for Varanasi soon, drinking water at 50 paise

Varanasi, May 7: For a parched city like the temple town of Varanasi, it could be 'acche din' (good days) pretty soon. A French company and sanitation NGO Sulabh International have joined hands to set up a drinking water plant at the historic Assighat here.

After the plant is set up, people would be able to buy drinking water for 50 paise per litre.

Informing of the development, Sulabh founder Bindeshwar Pathak told IANS: "Through a new technology, the contaminated water of Ganga river will be converted into pure drinking water at a nominal cost."

The proposed plant will produce around 8,000 litres of pure drinking water every day.

The plant would be established within the next three months.

He said that Sulabh, along with French organisation '1001 Fontaines', launched a pilot project in three West Bengal districts of North 24-Parganas, Murshidabad and Nadia a few months ago and the trial run proved successful.

"Now we are going to replicate our new invention at Assiaghat," Pathak said on Thursday.

The plant is likely to cost Rs.20 lakh, an amount that would be borne by the Sulabh International.

The innovative model is a result of the joint venture of Sulabh International and the French organisation. The plant provides safe drinking water after various stages of purification from any water bodies like rivers or ponds.

IANS