Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday announced the ‘Gomti Rejuvenation Mission' for the uninterrupted flow of the river, with an ambitious target of intercepting 95 per cent of urban sewage flowing into the river. The action plan will cover the entire river basin from Pilibhit to Ghazipur, with the objective to restore the water body to its “clean, uninterrupted, and pristine form”, an official statement said. The chief minister made the announcement at a meeting organised in collaboration with the Territorial Army. During the meeting, officials said that there are about 39 major drains that fall into the river at various places and that about 13 of them were still untreated. The task of the mission would include ensuring that no untreated drain flows into the river. Currently, six sewage treatment plants (STPs) are operational in the state along the river with a combined capacity of 605 MLD, the statement noted. Under the mission, additional drains will be diverted to the STPs, and new treatment plants will be constructed along with upgrades to existing ones, officials said. According to the statement, because of encroachments over the year, the flow of the river narrowed at many places across the districts thus directions were given to prepare the action plan with the targets to “intercept 95 per cent of the urban sewage”, “reduce pollution levels” and “revive the ecosystem” of the river. The action plan aims to develop new wetlands, including the Ekana wetland and Sajan Lake in Lucknow. Campaigns will also be launched to remove encroachments, beautify river ghats, and expand green cover along the banks, officials said. The Gomti Task Force, established in January this year under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), includes the project director of the State Clean Ganga Mission and representatives from the irrigation department, Pollution Control Board, Jal Nigam, Lucknow Municipal Corporation, and Lucknow Development Authority, along with subject experts, officials said. Going forward, officials have been asked to hold monthly review meetings of the task force and submit quarterly progress reports to the Chief Minister’s Office, the statement said. Officials said Adityanath has also assured that adequate resources would be made available for the mission to prevent any shortage of essential equipment, including track boats, floating barriers, and excavators.
