Mammoth STP fails to clean Gomti

At Gaughat,where the Gomti enters into the city area,the DO level varied from 10.9 to 12.5 mg/litre in January,8.6 to 11.5 mg/litre in February,7 to 11.5 mg/litre in March and 7.2 to 8.4 mg/litre in April first week. The DO level at Gaughat has always been higher than the standard value of 6.0 mg/litre because it is only after the river enters into the city that it gets polluted.

Along the 14-km stretch in the city,the pollution level increases as drains discharge effluents into the river. The STP at Bharwara,which has a capacity to treat 345 million litres sewage daily,was developed at a cost of Rs 169 crore to take care of this problem.

UPPCB Chief Environmental Engineer Swaminath Ram said there could be two reasons for no improvement in the river water. “Either the drains are still flowing untreated sewage in the river or the new STP is not functioning properly,” he said.

Jal Nigam officials claimed the Bharwara STP was treating at least 200 million litres per day (MLD) sewage received through the pumping station of Gaizuddin Haider canal and Kukrail nullah,all of which was earlier going into the river untreated before the commissioning of the STP. Besides,56 MLD sewage was being treated at Gaughat STP.

“If water quality is still not improving in the river,it is a matter of concern,” said AK Srivastava,MD of UP Jal Nigam. He said it is so as only eight of the 26 nullahs in the city have been so far connected with the STPs. “Water quality will improve when the rest 18 drains are connected with STP. This work will be completed by April 30,” he said.