Gomti's revival drifts off course as Dist Ganga Committee meets after two months
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Helicopter services to Kedarnath shrine shut until Sept with monsoon arrival
Jun 23, 2025 04:38 PM IST The helicopter services to the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district have been shut until September with the monsoon arrival per the instructions from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Tens of thousands of pilgrims visit the Kedarnath shrine, navigating the treacherous mountain terrain. (HT PHOTO) 'The operators shut down their operations with the arrival of the monsoon session. The services will now resume in September in compliance with the directions of the DGCA,' said Rudraprayag district tourism officer Rahul Chaubey, who is also the nodal officer for the chopper services to Kedarnath. In 2024, helicopters made 22,804 sorties on the Kedarnath route during the Char Dham yatra (May-June and September-October). Until June 15, 2025, 8,786 sorties were carried out on the route, and the number was comparatively low because of adverse weather conditions. A helicopter carrying pilgrims from Kedarnath crashed on June 15, killing all seven people aboard, including a two-year-old girl. The tragedy was the fifth helicopter incident on the route in six weeks. Three emergency landings and another crash killed six people during this period. The crash highlighted growing safety concerns over helicopter operations serving the Char Dham pilgrimage route, which includes four sacred Hindu temples in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. Tens of thousands of pilgrims visit the shrine, navigating the treacherous mountain terrain. The crash prompted the suspension of the chopper services on the Char Dham route for two days.
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
PWD to repair two west Delhi flyovers
The Public Works Department (PWD) on June 21 invited bids to repair the Raja Garden flyover and the Shadipur flyover in west Delhi at a cost of ₹ 8.8 crore. The Raja Garden flyover opened in 2001 and the Shadipur flyover in 1971, and neither has undergone major repairs since construction. PWD said the elastomeric bearing connecting the slabs with the base and the expansion joints need to be replaced. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo) The Raja Garden flyover connects Raja Garden to Mayapuri and repairs on it are likely to cost ₹ 4.9 crore. The second flyover connects Moti Nagar to Shadipur and its repairs would cost ₹ 3.9 crore. PWD said repairs are expected to take place in phases over 15 months. 'These projects will include the repair of spalled and honeycomb concrete in the core structure as well the replacement of the elastomeric bearing connecting the slabs with the base. We will also strengthen the girders and repair the expansion joints,' said a PWD official. PWD officials said that concrete expands and contracts with temperature changes and tends to develop cracks. An expansion joint is a small gap that provides space for the concrete to expand and contract. It is an iron joint placed between concrete slabs to prevent damage to concrete and absorb vibrations. 'After the concrete layer is removed, the deck surface will be closely inspected for signs of distress such as cracks, pockets of loose or honeycombed concrete. Then it will be thoroughly cleaned with special efforts to remove any loose material. Expansion joints and spouts will be removed carefully so that deck concrete is not damaged and reinforcement shall be cleaned thoroughly,' the official said. Honeycombing of the concrete refers to the formation of voids or air pockets in concrete, resembling a honeycomb-like structure, due to poor filling of the formwork. Spalling of the concrete refers to flaking of concrete from a larger mass, often caused by internal pressure from rusting and freeze-thaw cycles. In March, the Delhi government had ordered a comprehensive survey of all 102 flyovers in the city to identify problems. Several flyovers were built in the decade in the run up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games and are in need of repairs. Some of the flyovers that have been intensively repaired in the last two years include those in Shahdara, Loni Road, Nangloi, Chirag Delhi, Okhla, Janak Setu in New Delhi, and Pul Mithai. According to the March 3 order, PWD deployed five teams to inspect the flyovers under the oversight of the departmental special secretary. The government has allocated more than ₹ 3,800 crore in the recent state budget to improve and develop roads and bridges in the city. Mehar Chand a frequent commuter on West Delhi corridor said that on the ring road while coming from Mayapuri toward Punjabi Bagh, driving down on Raja Garden flyover there is frequent water logging problem even after light rain because of low lying area between both flyovers and lack of efficient water drain. Similarly, Vinay Gujela, a local resident said that the Raja Garden flyover also suffers from encroachment which must be cleared.. ' Why have agencies allowed food carts to stand on road. these encroachers are affecting the traffic flow and they also harass common people on road.'
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Over 6,300 farmers to switch to natural farming in Prayagraj division
To reduce input costs and boost farmers' income, 6,375 farmers across the Prayagraj division will adopt cow-based organic farming under the National Mission on Natural Farming, officials said. The initiative aims to promote sustainable agriculture and empower farmers in Prayagraj, Pratapgarh, Kaushambi and Fatehpur districts under the division. A group of women farmers sowing paddy in a field at a village in Soraon area of Prayagraj. (HT File) According to SP Srivastava, joint director of agriculture, 51 dedicated clusters have been identified in these four districts: 12 in Prayagraj, 22 in Pratapgarh, nine in Fatehpur and eight in Kaushambi. Each cluster will cover 50 hectares, bringing a total of 2,550 hectares under natural farming practices, he said. To encourage farmers to move away from chemical-based farming, the state government is providing financial assistance. 'Each farmer will receive ₹ 4,000 per acre annually to support the transition to natural farming,' Srivastava said. Additionally, 102 rural women have been selected to promote and guide farmers in the initiative. These women are undergoing training and will begin work in July, receiving a monthly honorarium of ₹ 5,000 from the government, he added. To ensure the long-term success of the programme, the government is integrating participating farmers into Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs). This will give them access to farm machinery banks, custom hiring centres, warehouses, cold storage facilities, and advanced marketing support, he said. Srivastava said the U.P. government aims to turn natural farming into a mass movement by promoting it in every gram panchayat. Following the initiative's success in Bundelkhand, the model is now being expanded to Purvanchal and central Uttar Pradesh. He said the initiative aligns with the state's vision of self-reliant agriculture by reducing dependence on costly chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
