VARANASI, July 17, 2013: It seems that even God is the victim of poor sanitation. The Vishawanath Gali area and prominent Kashi Vishwanath temple, the two places in the city, thronged by people from across the world, are relling under unsanitary conditions. The area surrounding temple is suffering sewage back flow. The garbage collection and road sweeping has become an irregular affair in the lane.

The sewage back flow is so severe in the temple that it becomes difficult to enter the holy place early in the morning. "Between 6 am and 8 am daily, this problem occurs. We know that by this time, sewage would be flowing in the area. It is frequent and intense this monsoon season," said Bablu, a shopkeeper near KVT. Situation gets out of gear when it rains.

Ironically, the nagar health officer is not 'aware' of the problem.

Jal Kal general manager BK Pandey said: "The problem would get no permanent solution this monsoon. We would ensure that it does not affect the devotees, visitors and locals in the holy month of Shrawan. A pumping machine would be placed to pump out the sewage water. Four Jal Kal workers will observe the situation from both side of the temple. The sewage problem in the area is old but it has worsened this year. The department has a work plan to tackle the situation but it would start after the monsoon gets over."

The area surrounding temple is poorly maintained. The entire Vishwanath Gali witnesses irregular sweeping and garbage collection. Another shopkeeper Sugandha said that many devotees complain about the situation. "Ideally, the area should be swept at least thrice a day but the sweeping starts early afternoon and does not happen for the rest of the day," she added.

Source: The Times of India, DT. July 17, 2013.