On November 4th, 2008, the Ganges was declared the National River of India. One year later, members of International Congress on Recent Advances in Environmental Sciences and Technology met at the Banaras Hindu University to tackle some of the most challenging environmental concerns. According to The Times of India, the congress recommended the establishment of a national Ganga research institute to develop effective methods of cleaning up the most sacred river. Objectives of the institute would include developing innovative treatment technologies for the sewage and industrial effluents, recycling solid wastes, promoting conservation of the ecology and valued biodiversity of the Ganga river basin and educating people on altering environmentally destructive practices.

The congress recommended "constitution of three-tier water conservation society at all levels of education and mass awareness among people on issues relating to water conservation, water harvesting, water recharge, river ecosystem and development of green belt of 100-m on both banks of the Ganga and its tributaries to check soil erosion and discharge of pollutants."

My personal mantra: Education is key. I know I have mentioned this time and time again; however it is crucial when it comes to addressing today's most daunting environmental issues. Local people must be involved in cleanup efforts. In 1985, the government of India launched the Ganga Action Plan, which was devised to clean up the river in certain areas by installing sewage treatment plants and imposing fines and litigation against industries that pollute. The plan has been largely unsuccessful. Many have criticized the program for failing to include local communities, those most invested in the health of the river, in the planning and execution of the plan.

In contrast to the government's Ganga Action Plan, the citizen-run Sankat Mochan Foundation, initiated in Varanasi in 1982, has had quite a substantial impact on decreasing the contamination levels of the Ganges. Hindu priest and civil engineer, Veer Bhadra Mishra, who founded the organization, has utilized science as well as spiritually to inform citizens and propose clean-up methods.

With the assistance of engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, Mishra has offered an alternative sewage-treatment plan for Varanasi that is takes into account the climate and conditions of India.  Mishra has also realized the importance of dialogue and sensitivity when dealing with India locals. According to Mishra's view, to tell a Hindu that Ganga, Governess of the waters, is "polluted" or "dirty" is blasphemous. How could the sacred mother be dirty? Thus, the approach must recognize that humans are responsible for polluting the river not the Goddess: "We are allowing our mother to be defiled." In this manner, we stimulate grassroots cooperation while promoting cultural/religious preservation.

I commend International Congress on Recent Advances in Environmental Science and Technology's most recent recommendations. Globally, we have finally come to realize that policymakers and scientists cannot reverse decades of environmentally negligent decisions on their own. As cliché as it may sound, this needs to be a large-scale collaborative effort.