Even as crores are spent on cleaning and beautifying the Gomti, garbage continues to find its way to the riverbank. An open dumping site near Jhulelal Vatika in Lucknow has resurfaced, highlighting gaps in monitoring and post-event waste management.
Despite repeated cleanliness drives and direct interventions by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) and other agencies to rejuvenate the Gomti, the ground reality tells a different story. Large quantities of waste were found dumped openly along the riverbank near Jhulelal Vatika, opposite Chhatar Manzil, on Saturday.
Notably, the dumping point lies close to the Katki Mela venue. Even weeks after the event, the ground remains littered with waste. Plastic waste, disposable glasses, polythene and mixed municipal garbage were scattered across the riverbank, with much of it already floating in the water or on the verge of being washed into the river.
Environmental observers said the dump lies dangerously close to the waterline, making it highly vulnerable during rainfall. Even light showers could wash the garbage directly into the Gomti, accelerating pollution levels and undoing years of restoration efforts.
Environmental expert and Gomti activist Venkatesh Dutta, who visited the site on Saturday, expressed serious concern over the situation. “The condition at the site was shocking. Large amounts of plastic waste were clearly entering the Gomti. This is exactly how the river continues to get polluted despite tall claims of cleaning drives,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Environmental expert and Gomti activist Venkatesh Dutta, who visited the site on Saturday, expressed serious concern over the situation. “The condition at the site was shocking. Large amounts of plastic waste were clearly entering the Gomti. This is exactly how the river continues to get polluted despite tall claims of cleaning drives,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Dutta also warned of the long-term ecological impact of such negligence. “During heavy rainfall or flood-like situations, this waste breaks down into smaller particles and travels further downstream. Eventually, this pollution does not stop at the Gomti; it reaches the Ganga as well,” he added.
Environmentalists demanded immediate removal of the dumped waste, identification of responsible agencies, and strict penalties to prevent the Gomti from turning into a permanent dumping ground.
However, when HT attempted to contact municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar over the issue on Saturday, he was unavailable for comment.