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With half drains untapped, Gomti cleanup battle far from over
Under its long-term plan, the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam has proposed STPs at major sewage outfall points, Jiamau, Wazirganj, Nilmatha, CGPS, Mastemau, Pipraghat, and Alinagar Nullah, to prevent untreated wastewater from entering the river. Officials say this step will be key to reviving the Gomti’s health.
With chief minister Yogi Adityanath setting an 18-month deadline to tap all untapped nullahs flowing into the Gomti River, government departments in Lucknow are racing against time to meet the target. The directive, issued during the CM’s visit to the riverbanks on Monday, has pushed officials to expedite long-pending river cleanup and sewage treatment projects.
The task ahead is formidable. As Lucknow’s population continues to expand, cleaning the Gomti and setting up new sewage treatment plants (STPs) have become major challenges for the administration.
Under its long-term plan, the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam has proposed STPs at major sewage outfall points, Jiamau, Wazirganj, Nilmatha, CGPS, Mastemau, Pipraghat, and Alinagar Nullah, to prevent untreated wastewater from entering the river. Officials say this step will be key to reviving the Gomti’s health.
However, land acquisition has slowed progress. The Jal Nigam has sought 20.81 hectares from the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC), Lucknow Development Authority (LDA), and the State Housing Board for setting up seven STPs. Despite repeated requests, responses have remained ‘slow or non-committal’, according to officials.
A Jal Nigam official, requesting anonymity, shared the land details: Jiamau (9.24 ha), Wazirganj (4.2 ha), Nilmatha (4.34 ha), CGPS near Lakshman Mela Ground (2.6 ha), Mastemau (0.22 ha), Pipraghat (0.77 ha), and Alinagar Nullah (0.07 ha).
“Without land, we cannot even begin initial steps like soil testing or DPR preparation,” the official said.
An LMC official, meanwhile, assured cooperation: “The LMC will follow all directives of the chief minister and provide land for setting up STPs at the earliest. But we have yet to receive the plans of Jal Nigam.”
At present, about 300 million litres per day (MLD) of untreated wastewater flows into the Gomti through 14 drains, seven of which remain completely untapped. River activist Ranjeet Singh, who was lauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mann Ki Baat for his cleanup efforts, said, “Approximately 300 million litres of untreated wastewater still flows into the Gomti through 14 drains, seven are untapped and the rest only partially treated.”
A senior irrigation department official said, ‘The river is healthiest when it receives treated water. In the past, we have suggested setting up small STPs in every ward to treat sewage at the source.”
Several STPs are already operational in Lucknow, including Bharwara (345 MLD), the city’s largest, Daulatganj (42 MLD and 14 MLD), Vrindavan Yojna (37.5 MLD), and a 6.5 MLD Jal Kal unit. A 100 KLD co-treatment plant has been set up within Bharwara STP to process faecal sludge and septage. A 120 MLD plant is also operational along the GH Canal.
New facilities under development include Daulatganj (39 MLD), nearing completion; Barikala (3.5 MLD) under construction, Loniyapurwa (50 MLD) under construction, Bharwara Phase III (75 MLD) awaiting budget approval, and Basant Kunj (120 MLD) under development.
An urban development department official said meeting the 18-month target would require “fast-tracking construction, ensuring uninterrupted power to STPs, and strict monitoring of progress.”
Environmentalist VK Joshi said, “Our system is designed to treat sewage from around 30 lakh people, but with expanding city limits, the population is set to double. More STPs, including small ones at the colony level, will be needed so that only treated water is released into the river. Lucknow will need treatment capacity for over 2,000 MLD of sewage in the next 15 years.”
