Israeli Companies to Clean Ganges

The Indian government has been promoting a large scale endeavor to clean the Ganges River, which is considered holy in Hinduism. Current initiative is a replacement for The Ganga Action Plan that was launched in 1986 and failed despite heavy expenditure.

Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, wrote, “The Ganges, above all, is the river of India which has held India's heart captive and drawn uncounted millions to her banks since the dawn of history. “ However, registered pollution levels render the Ganges water unsafe for agricultural use, let alone drinking and bathing. Due to the river's importance as a fresh water source as well as a ritual site, and considering that the river has become a major factor in spreading infection and disease, the Indian government treats this initiative very seriously.

Recently, the Indian government decided to invite leading Israeli water technology companies to take part in the efforts to clean the river. For this purpose, representatives of Indian research institutes, water technology companies and other relevant agencies will come to Israel to learn about the Israeli water and sewage purification technologies, and to examine ways to integrate them in the project.

The delegation will include representatives from the India Institute of Technology (IIT), an organization appointed by Indian government to advise and to formulate recommendations for the government regarding the technological solutions to be adopted for the cleaning endeavors.

The delegation will meet with several Israeli companies dealing with sewage purification, solid waste treatment, desalination and management of water resources, and visit their facilities. In addition, the delegation will meet with representatives of relevant government authorities such as the Israeli Water Authority.

Source: Ynetnews

Also see Wiki article on Pollution of the Ganges.

May 1, World Asthma Day

May 1 marked the annual World Asthma Day. World Health Organization estimates that 300 million people currently suffer from asthma. I chose 3 Israeli inventions that help people with asthma and benefit the environment.

ProAir HFA Inhalation Aerosol
To replace inhalers containing ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) banned by FDA, Israel’s Teva Pharmaceuticals introduced the ProAir HFA Inhalation Aerosol — an environmentally friendly device for delivering inhaled asthma medication. Teva partnered with the American Lung Association to help some 20 million asthma patients transition to the new inhaler.

CanarIT
There is a clear connection between air quality and asthma, but monitoring air pollution has been an expensive proposition — until an Israeli company’s novel, low-cost device came along to provide real-time information on air quality anywhere. AirBase Systems developed small plug-and-play CanarIT sensor units (one for indoors, one for outdoors) based on the latest nanotechnology and using patented algorithms to identify pollution patterns and to rate the threat, wirelessly transmitting graphic reports to a computer or a handheld device. CanarIT also suggests simple, smart ways to reduce exposure to air pollution, such as closing windows on particularly smoggy days.

Ozone-Based Cleaning Systems
Studies have shown that swimming in chlorinated pools may trigger asthma and other respiratory problems from chlorimines, harmful chemicals formed by chlorine coming in contact with organic substances. Israeli company Greeneng Solutions manufactures ozone-based cleaning systems for water purification in restaurants, hotels and hospitals without chlorine or ammonia. Its new product called Ozopool would largely replace chlorine as a swimming pool disinfectant.