UP CM announces Gomti Revival Mission, targets interception of 95 pc urban sewage

Lucknow, Oct 12 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday announced the ‘Gomti Revival Mission’ 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 13 of the 39 major drains flowing into the Gomti remain untreated.

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.

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, they said.

The chief minister further directed strict enforcement of the ban on single-use plastic, identifying it as a major cause for sewer blockages and water pollution.

After reviewing the action plan and issuing key directives, Adityanath said the mission is not limited to water purification but represents a comprehensive effort to revive both the environment and cultural ethos.

Calling the river "a symbol of the state’s cultural consciousness and spiritual heritage", the chief minister said the mission must represent more than an administrative exercise and evolve into a mass movement involving every section of society, according to the statement.

The initiative, he added, will stand as a symbol of environmental responsibility and intergenerational commitment.

"It seeks the biological, cultural, and aesthetic revival of the river," he 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.

According to the statement, the task force has mobilised over 70,000 citizens through foot and boat patrols, removed over 1,000 tonnes of water hyacinth, surveyed drains to identify pollution sources, and conducted over 100 awareness campaigns.

Under the ‘River Yoga Campaign’ held between April 21 and June 21 this year, several activities and clean-up drives were also organised at five major ghats of the river, it added.

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. PTI COR CDN PRK PRK