Gomti river is a mess

After reading in the papers, I decided to go and see what it was all about. The Gomti River which passes thru the heart of Lucknow is in a mess. As you stand on the bridge you can see foam, garbage, and other items floating in the water. It seems that people just do not have any civic sense.

To improve the quality of water in the river, the most important thing which can be done is to install Sewage Treatment Plants (STP). Many studies have been carried out indicating its importance in cleaning up the polluted river, but no real action has taken place. The end result is that most of the raw sewage ends up in the river. The water is unfit to drink and bathe.

The concerned authorities know about it, but they keep passing the buck on who is responsible. The usual response given is: lack of funds, the plan has not been approved/sanctioned; the site has not been finalized due to various reasons, etc. This has led to the delay in commissioning of these plants.

This is not to suggest that the state government is not interested at all. Just recently, they had initiated for the first time a concrete plan called "Clean Gomti". But to make this project a success all the concerned departments will have to understand the basic/root cause of the visible and then take corrective action. After setting up of the STPs of the right capacities, all the sewer and waste water lines will have to be routed to it. Since all the waste water is being dumped right into the river itself, this has led not only to river pollution but also sedimentation. This sedimentation beyond a point will result in flooding of area lying close to the river. The river not only requires the removal of the many objects lying on the bed of the river by simple dredging operation, but also sufficient increase in the depth of the river in order to bring it back to its original form. A proper cleanliness drive should be initiated to remove all garbage located through out the city. Sometimes during the rainy season, this filth flows into the river polluting it even more.

What is necessary at the moment is that the government agencies and general public should coordinate their actions to bring the river back to its pristine beauty. With the active participation of the residents and the support/guidance received from government agencies, we will be able to turn back the clock. All we need is public awareness coupled with hard work and proper support from right places. A clean beautiful river will enhance the value of any city. Then the river can be used different sports activities as well as picnic spots.