Kathauta Lake desilting drive: Bid to tackle summer water crisis; soil to be used in LMC, LDA projects
The move is expected to significantly improve water supply to over five lakh residents in Gomti Nagar and Indira Nagar this summer
The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) and the Jalkal department began desilting and dredging operations at Kathauta Lake from Monday. The move is expected to significantly improve water supply to over five lakh residents in Gomti Nagar and Indira Nagar this summer, an LMC release read on Monday.
The LMC officials said that the project aims to triple the lake’s water storage capacity before peak summer demand. Officials said the work is being executed on a priority basis to ensure timely water conservation.
Previously, Hindustan Times had reported on February 24 that desilting work at Kathauta Lake had stalled due to a funding deadlock, threatening the water supply to over five lakh residents in the city’s eastern belt. The report prompted a series of meetings, after which authorities cleared the way for the desilting campaign.
Commissioner inspects on-site progress
Divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob inspected the site on Monday and issued necessary directions to expedite work. Municipal commissioner Inderjit Singh, additional municipal commissioner Lalit Kumar, and general manager (Jalkal), Kuldeep Singh, were present during the inspection.
According to the release, Jacob emphasised the importance of accelerating the cleaning work before the closure of the Sharda Canal in mid-May. “We have a limited window to store water. Desilting must be completed before the canal cleaning begins,” she told officials on-site.
Full-scale dredging underway
The desilting process began with clearing the inlet section of the lake, where approximately 1.5 lakh cubic meters of silt had accumulated. Officials confirmed that this phase will be completed in 20 days. In total, around five lakh cubic meters of silt will be removed from the 1,200-meter-long and 600-meter-wide lake.
Jalkal teams have deployed 15 heavy earth movers and multiple dumpers to carry out the desilting. For the deeper sections, dredging machines are being used to enhance both depth and water retention capacity.
Water storage before canal closure
The Sharda Canal, which feeds Kathauta Lake, is scheduled to be closed for cleaning between the night of May 17 and 18. In anticipation, the LMC has planned to begin refilling the lake from April 25 to ensure sufficient reserves are in place during the closure.
Authorities have also planned to use the silt being removed. The soil will be utilised in LMC and LDA’s ongoing development works, including in banks of Kathauta lake close to former Akbar Nagar and Manoratha Gaushala. Officials say this step will prevent waste of material and support civic infrastructure.
Meanwhile, residents have welcomed the move. After reports of a possible water shortage due to delayed lake cleaning surfaced earlier this year, many feared a repeat of past summers when taps often ran dry.
