Gomti's revival drifts off course as Dist Ganga Committee meets after two months

Hindustan Times

07-05-2025

Amid the search for concrete steps to improve the Gomti's deteriorating health, the District Ganga Committee (DGC) meeting held here on Tuesday turned out to be a big disappointment. The committee met after a gap of two months. (Mushtaq Ali/HT)
Contrary to the expectations, the meeting, chaired by chief development officer (CDO) Ajay Jain in the absence of the Lucknow district magistrate, failed to come up with any effective plan to curb the flow of around 280 MLD (million litres per day) of untreated sewage into the river. Its focus was rather on planning new gateways and pathways in the name of beautification.
Faecal coliform in the river, at Kudiaghat in the state capital, is 40,000 MPN (most probable number)/100ml against the maximum permissible limit of 2,500 MPN/100ml, according to the latest data available with experts. At Nishatganj bridge and Pipraghat, it was 49,000 and 79,000 MPN/100ml in March.
Despite the high pollution levels, the committee, on Tuesday, confined itself to discussions only on the construction of gateways and a mandap on the Gomti. There was no dialogue even on deteriorating dissolved oxygen (DO) levels—a key marker for aquatic life—which drops from 10.7 mg/L at Manjhighat to just 2.9 mg/L at Kudiaghat, and then to a deadly 1.6 mg/L at Pipraghat.
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), which is an indicator for organic pollution, rises from 3.10 at Manjhighat to 8.20 at Kudiaghat and peaks to 12 at Pipraghat — levels far beyond safe limits for human use.
Flows 960 km through 16 dists
In 2014, when the Central government set up the Namami Gange Programme a sum of ₹ 20,000 crore was sanctioned for the rejuvenation and conservation of the Ganga. Also called National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), its state units are headed by chief secretaries of the respective states.
At the district level, the programme's implementation is done by District Ganga Committees that are headed by district magistrates with DFOs as their member secretary.
The Gomti also comes under the scope of the programme since it is a major tributary of the Ganga. It originates from Madhotanda in Puranpur block of Pilibhit and meets the Ganga at Kaithi Ghat in Ghazipur. It covers a distance of 960 km and passes through 16 districts.
DGC planning Gomti Aarti, beautification
When concrete mechanisms to conserve and preserve the Gomti did not evoke the desired results, the district committee, in its meeting held on Tuesday, looked beyond sewage treatment plant (STPs) and discussed appealing to the religious sentiments of people when they ask them to keep the Gomti clean.
CDO Ajay Jain was the nodal officer who chaired the meeting and divisional forest officer (DFO) Sitanshu Pandey, the member secretary, was among those present. Both officials did the icebreaking by briefing members about the formation of Gomti Task Force and how the district administration was always relentlessly working for the conservation of the river.
During the meeting, the irrigation department was requested to find a particular location along the ghat where a grand gateway could be constructed and a mandap could be built for daily Gomti Aarti on the lines of the Ganga Aarti in Varanasi and Haridwar.
For the construction of the gateway and 'aarti' mandap, four places were identified. They are: Kudiya Ghat, Ghaila Ghat, Laxman Mela Ground and another one near the G20 ghat. While the irrigation department has been tasked with identifying the area, PWD officials were asked to send the estimate regarding this, which would be sent to the State Mission for Clean Ganga for its approval and funding.
Jaldoot and a member of the DGC NK Verma claimed that the idea of a gateway was proposed by him, and it was included in the minutes of the meeting. The DFO said a massive tree plantation would be taken up all along the river ghats and several departments would be allocated saplings.
It was also discussed that Ganga village committee meeting halls would be constructed in places from where the Gomti flows so that locals willing to render their services to keep the river clean could hold their periodical meetings there.
Meanwhile, the DFO said the Gomti Task Force was bound to play an important role in conserving the river and the district committee would help in spreading public awareness.
The task force, a specialised unit by Indian army's territorial wing, has been formed under the aegis of Namami Gange with approval from the Union ministry of defence. Its objective is to rejuvenate and protect the Gomti. Its responsibilities are monitoring the pollution level in the river, spreading public awareness, patrolling the riverbanks and ghats so that no waste is littered on the river, stabilising riverbanks and to seek assistance during natural disasters.