Dr. Rash Bihari Ghosh

Early Life and Education

Dr. Rash Bihari Ghosh was born in Bajitpur Kishore Ganj and studied at Dhaka University on a soccer scholarship, beginning his career as a chemistry tutor at Jagannath University College (now Jagannath University). After his active participation in the Bangladeshi freedom movement, he came back to his teaching job at Dhaka Jaganath University. He was compelled to leave Bangladesh soon after the martyr of Bangabandhu pro Pakistanis.  He came to read for a Ph.D in Manchester on Europe's most polluted estuary of the river Mersey and completed his PhD in Ecology/Hydrology at Salford University in Manchester, England. Dr. Ghosh wrote his Dissertation on mitigating pollution based on his detailed monitoring of the Polluted Mersey Estuary. During the liberation movement, Dr. Ghosh served as acting General Secretary of the Bangladesh Teachers Association in Majib Nagar. Later  he became general secretary during the presidency of A. R. Mullick. Dr. Ghosh replaced Dr. Anisuzaman, who was recalled by Prime minister Tajuddin Ahmed. Shortly after, Dr. Ghosh was recalled by acting president Sayed Nazrul Islam, being replaced by Dr. Ajoy Roy, Professor of Physics of Dhaka University. Dr. Ghosh became a British Council Scholar after his International Atomic Energy Fellowship, which was blocked by the Military Government of Bangladesh due to his close association with founder Sheik Majibur Rahman. However, Dr. Ghosh getting an Atomic energy fellowship in 1976 to start an atomic energy fellowship in Bangladesh.
Early Life and Education Dr. Rash Bihari Ghosh was born in Bajitpur Kishore Ganj and studied at Dhaka University on a soccer scholarship, beginning his career as a chemistry tutor at Jagannath University College (now Jagannath University). After his active participation in the Bangladeshi freedom movement, he came back to his teaching job at Dhaka Jaganath University. He was compelled to leave Bangladesh soon after the murder of Bangabandhu pro Pakistanis.  Soon after, he came to read for a Ph.D in Manchester on Europe's most polluted estuary of the river Mersey and completed his PhD in Ecology/Hydrology at Salford University in Manchester, England. Dr. Ghosh wrote his Dissertation on mitigating pollution based on his detailed monitoring of the Polluted Mersey Estuary. During the liberation movement, Dr. Ghosh served as acting General Secretary of the Bangladesh Teachers Association in Majib Nagar. Later  he became general secretary during the presidency of A. R. Mullick. Dr. Ghosh replaced Dr. Anisuzaman, who was recalled by Prime minister Tajuddin Ahmed. Shortly after, Dr. Ghosh was recalled by acting president Sayed Nazrul Islam, being replaced by Dr. Ajoy Roy, Professor of Physics of Dhaka University. 

Dr. Ghosh became a British Council Scholar after his International Atomic Energy Fellowship was blocked by the Pro-Pakistani Chair of the Dhaka Atomic Energy Commission of the Military Government of Bangladesh due to his close association with founder Sheik Majibur Rahman. However, Dr. Ghosh and one his professors of Professor William Kershaw, MD,      D. Sc, FBiol, CMG, VRD, a leading tropical medicine expert in the world) worked very hard to convince the world Atomic Energy authorities in Austria to start awarding, the Dhaka Atomic energy fellowship in 1976 in Bangladesh. (For details one may see the last several attachments of Dr. Ghosh's Ph.D. thesis (Ecology of the polluted Mersey estuary at Salford University).

Career as a Water Scientist

Dr. Ghosh’s outstanding doctoral dissertation opened the door for his future career. And one of  his professor Dr. Kershaw  connect  Dr. Ghosh with  Professor Linus Pauling  (only unshared double nobel laureate) at Stanford . His investigation of the River Mersey Estuary in greater Manchester and Liverpool Bay, which at the time, was the most polluted in Europe, got the attention of the British Environment Department. He went on to assist the Northwest Water Authority and the British government in the Mersey estuary cleanup.  Accoroding to Professor Thomas Harvey  ( prominent ecologist of the USA) of San Jose state University  Dr. Rash B Ghosh became an authority of the Mersey estuary River system and his work was recognised by the British Environment Department and its secretary.

He was a lecturer at Underwater Science and Technology at University of Salford in Manchester and taught M.Sc students there. He then moved to California and worked as a scientist at Stanford, conducting research on canopy chemistry, nutrient cycling, and climate change at Herring Laboratories. Dr. Ghosh prepared one of the largest datasets on canopy chemistry in the world, supported by NASA.

Dr. Ghosh has resolved several local and international environmental disputes. In late 1980s, he worked with CalEPA, being chosen for his international experience in estuarine and brackish water science. During this time, he resolved long term disputes involving South Bay Dischargers, San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board, and Citizens for Better Environment. During one of these disputes, Dr. Ghosh reviewed 5 volumes of technical reports prepared for South Bay Dischargers. His findings were accepted by all parties, and the long standing problem was resolved out of court.

Dr. Ghosh worked at the California Department of Health Services and California Environmental Protection Agency for 14 years, overseeing several superfund toxic waste sites and successfully completing various cleanup projects. Along with Nobel Laureates Dr. Charles Townes, Dr. Glenn Seborg, and Dr. Doulas Osheroff,  Dr. Ghosh co-founded the International Institute of Bengal and Himalayan Basins (IIBHB) to advocate for access to clean drinking water in developing countries.

Dr. Ghosh was invited by the Chinese Engineering Professional Association to present his Hydrogrameen technology at an international conference in Burlingame Ca in July 2014. The Hydrogrameen technology injects fresh water into depleted aquifers. Dr. Ghosh funded the Hydrogrameen project with his own resources. Dr. Gosh became the Nobel Laureate Charles Townes Professor of Water Chemistry in 2007. Although the Charles Townes chair was usually intended to award Dr. Townes P.D student Nobel Laureate Arno Penzias author of Big Beng, confirmed birth  of the universe. Dr. Townes and his associates decided to honor Dr. Ghosh for his lifetime work particularly his invention of hydrogrameen ( refill or replenish the  depleted aquifers around the world in order to address global water crisis, prevent land subsidence, preserve rainwater, to serve both drinking water and use the  part of it  for drinking water and beneficial use and rest is allowed to percolate to the ground, increase  wood productivity , and crop, vegetation  and more importantly reduce the impact of global warming when 4.5 billion houses are being geared with Hydrogrameen technology to  inject freshwater to the ground of the backyard  of each house.

Civil Rights Cases

Dr. Ghosh was a civil rights plaintiff in a case against his employer, Cal EPA, who made a case law in May 2000 for the  age discrimination. In retaliation by the City of Berkeley and the state took two  of houses in Berkeley and over two hundred thousand cash deposit to the court. 

Dr. Ghosh has been a victim of ongoing discrimination by the City of Berkeley. Primarily, his properties were raided several times before being seized: closing his residence, non profit office, and Temple at 1700 Dwight way, Berkeley, CA. Furthermore, Dr. Ghosh has faced three false felony charges by his own local governments, accusing Dr. Ghosh of domestic violence, despite the fact that Dr. Ghosh has no domestic relationship.

Although Mr. Frank Roesch handled this matter for more than 10 years, he could not resolve the situation, creating more problems. He sold Dr. Ghosh's property without a signature from  Dr. Ghosh. Furthermore, Mr. Roesch and the City of Berkeley collected $177,000 cash from Dr. Ghosh under judicial threat. Afterwords, $40,000 in repairs were provided and $17,000 for proper permits.  On top of that, $200,000 in additional costs were collected by the city, including a lien against the property. All being said,  the city receiver sold the property for $265,000, instead of using already provided funds meant for repairs, essentially rescinding all actions previously stated.