These facts were juxtaposed with local conditions. The result was a holistic plan which sounded less capital-intensive and more effective. It would not just clean the sewage going into the Yamuna but increase the flow in the river while recharging the ground water.

``It has been proved by the failure of the Ganga Action Plan that these imported technologies to clean up sewage do not work. They are power- and capital-intensive and eventually become moneyspinners for the corrupt,'' said Sinha.

What has happened now is that the dry bed causes reverse flow: the Yamuna, instead of charging aquifers, takes away water from there. Also, the sewage flowing into the river gets into the ground-water. The only solution is to trap the monsoon water which normally flows into the sea, agree experts.

As an alternative, Paani Morcha has suggested Eco Parks to be built in various areas which would use natural and bio-technological treatment of waste water. These are replicated from models in a cooperative fishery project in Calcutta and at Mirzapur in Bangladesh as well as Oxidation ponds at Sangli.

These use inane-sounding duckweed and common fish to clean up toxic water. ``It has been successful elsewhere, there is no reason it will not work here,'' said Sinha with conviction. His only motivation, he says is the fact that he would go sailing in the river once.

According to the plan, the sewage would flow into a settlement tank where through the naturalisation process by lime, toxic heavy metals would settle down. After which the water would flow into an aeration tank. The next stage would involve sewage to flow in plantation tanks walled with special carnivorous weeds which would absorb organic waste.

Thereafter the sewage would flow into tanks with non-edible fish that consume municipal effluents. Finally, a tank with edible fish would provide income for the Park.

The deterrent earlier in the treatment of urban sewage was that the space required was vast, nearly four hectares for each million litre per day of sewage. However, in the lagoon fishery project in Mirzapur, using duckweed, a World bank report has stated that the ``treatment facilities routinely achieve secondary to tertiary effluent standards''.

``What we did was to put these four methods in tandem to reduce the surface area and to achieve sure-shot drinking-water stage treatment,'' said Sinha.

Already sights have been identified in the city where these eco-parks can be set up. In a meeting with the Chief Minister held recently, it has been agreed that a demonstration project be set-up at Chilla village in West Delhi. The cost when worked out, turns out to be half of the imported sewage treatment plants which are being set up under the Yamuna Action Plan.

Another section of the plan talks about setting up of five reservoirs, some of which already existed centuries ago.two on the either side of the Wazirabad barrage, reviving the old horseshoe lake by filling it from the Western Yamuna Canal. Another two on the right bank of Yamuna south of the Okhla barrage and South West of Najafgarh. According to those supporting the plan, it would mean additional supply of 0.6 MLD required out of the 1.1 MLD required in the next 10 years.

Similar reservoirs have brought to life dead rivers in Rajasthan and the plan proposes it on a smaller scale. Foreign funding agencies like the Indo-Canadian Environment Facility and USAID have already shown their interest in the project at Chilla village and conversion of Wazirbad oxidation ponds into eco parks. The only obstacle seems to be the willingness on part of the government to experiment with offbeat but already-tested technologies.