Gomti's health is a prime concern before government who has launched river channelization and riverfront beautification program. To improve its health, the government recently sanctioned Rs 20 crore to the Jal Nigam to revive Asia's largest sewage treatment plants in Bharwara, Lucknow.
The plant had been lying idle for almost one and half years because of a legal battle between the contractor and Jal Nigam over payment issues. Out of the 26 nullahs flowing into Gomti, 22 are diverted towards Bharwara (345 MLD) while remaining are sent to Daulatganj STP (56 MLD) for treatment.
The sewage is tapped by the pumping stations deployed on nullahs and diverted to the STPs for treatment so that clean water can be discharged into the river. Due to defunct STP, Jal Nigam estimates that over 350 million liter of untreated sewage has been directly flowing into Gomti every day, which is the prime cause of river pollution.
The STP was inaugurated in January 2011 but its construction got halted for almost 2 years due to contractor's repeated failure to complete the project in time. It is only after High Court ordered Jal Nigam to take over work from the private contractor that its remaining construction started in December last year. With the new release of funds and chief secretary's instructions to begin STP before monsoons, Jal Nigam hopes to commission the project by mid-July.
The agency has also sent a proposal worth Rs 456 crore to the government for overhauling of old and obsolete pumping stations deployed on nullahs. As these were installed in early 2000, most of them are working in less than required capacity. Jal Nigam's GM, Zuber Ahmad says, "As soon as we get approval on this proposal, we would change all defunct pumps to yield better results. It would take about a year to overhaul entire structure."
Jal Nigam hopes that once STP gets commissioned and all old structures are replaced, Gomti's overall health will improve significantly. Ahmad says, "Until now, the sewage was flowing into Gomti's downstream. Though it was not affecting the city but total river-health was getting deteriorated. With heavy investments lined up, we soon hope to restore the river."
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Based on empirical evidence and experiences in recent past, we are looking at a water catastrophe in India. The country faces drought or deluge, millions moving out of agriculture and then into urban systems without any transition or training. This will not only give to loss of life and land but can be a reason of major unrest in India.
At this point in time, we are aiming to build a strong representation to protect water and natural systems at the local level. We want policy interventions and strong implementation at states level to keep natural resources untouched and free to take their own form for generations to come.
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By
Venkatesh Dutta 9
Gomti's health is a prime concern before government who has launched river channelization and riverfront beautification program. To improve its health, the government recently sanctioned Rs 20 crore to the Jal Nigam to revive Asia's largest sewage treatment plants in Bharwara, Lucknow.
The plant had been lying idle for almost one and half years because of a legal battle between the contractor and Jal Nigam over payment issues. Out of the 26 nullahs flowing into Gomti, 22 are diverted towards Bharwara (345 MLD) while remaining are sent to Daulatganj STP (56 MLD) for treatment.
The sewage is tapped by the pumping stations deployed on nullahs and diverted to the STPs for treatment so that clean water can be discharged into the river. Due to defunct STP, Jal Nigam estimates that over 350 million liter of untreated sewage has been directly flowing into Gomti every day, which is the prime cause of river pollution.
The STP was inaugurated in January 2011 but its construction got halted for almost 2 years due to contractor's repeated failure to complete the project in time. It is only after High Court ordered Jal Nigam to take over work from the private contractor that its remaining construction started in December last year. With the new release of funds and chief secretary's instructions to begin STP before monsoons, Jal Nigam hopes to commission the project by mid-July.
The agency has also sent a proposal worth Rs 456 crore to the government for overhauling of old and obsolete pumping stations deployed on nullahs. As these were installed in early 2000, most of them are working in less than required capacity. Jal Nigam's GM, Zuber Ahmad says, "As soon as we get approval on this proposal, we would change all defunct pumps to yield better results. It would take about a year to overhaul entire structure."
Jal Nigam hopes that once STP gets commissioned and all old structures are replaced, Gomti's overall health will improve significantly. Ahmad says, "Until now, the sewage was flowing into Gomti's downstream. Though it was not affecting the city but total river-health was getting deteriorated. With heavy investments lined up, we soon hope to restore the river."