Intercepting trunk drain: Ray of hope for Gomti revival?
LUCKNOW: Lucknow’s lifeline, the Gomti, is gasping for breath as waste, mostly untreated, from as many as 26 drains continues to pollute the river.
Besides regular measures being undertaken by the state government to clean the river into which around 600MLD of sewage water is released per day, the construction of an ‘intercepting trunk drain’ that aims to check the inflow of sewage into the river has been lying pending for the past three years.
The project was a part of Gomti Riverfront project, a pet project of the former Samajwadi government. The Yogi Adityanath government had ordered inquiry within two weeks after coming to power, citing financial irregularities in the project. With this, the construction work of the drain project had come to a grinding halt.
Thus, of the total 8.3km length of the drain, merely 270 metres was left to be constructed. As per the records with the irrigation department, the ambitious project failed to take off following the enquiry. “Of the total length, mere a patch of 270 metres is left undone,” said an official of the irrigation department. The irrigation department was entrusted the task of constructing the trunk drain.
Officials say the project would have been a boon in minimising the pollution level in the river, especially in times when government has started fresh efforts to clean the river.
“When state government ordered enquiry, merely 5% work in the drain project was left to be completed. Had it been completed, the river would have been among the cleanest rivers in the state,” said a senior official with the irrigation department.
However, the department which is quite hopeful that the project might resume in the next financial year, is now planning to consult IIT-Roorkee for its expertise.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Intercepting trunk drain project, officials said was perhaps the most innovative projects to be introduced in the state so far. The project envisages a construction of a drain, parallel to river Gomti, around 8.3km stretch on either side, to which over 25 drains flowing into the river were proposed to be connected.
Once connected, the drains, instead of opening into the river, would transmit tonnes of drain water to the trunk drain, which further would be connected to the pumping station that was proposed to be constructed near Samta Mulak Chowk.
The pumping station would further pass on the drain water to sewerage treatment plant (STP) in Bharwara, from where it will be treated and released into the river again. The total estimated cost of the project was around ₹311 crore.
Officials said the work would re-start only after the agencies carrying out the inquiry submit its report to the government and government gives nod. They said the work of the pumping station too is incomplete.
“If completed, the trunk drain would be a boon in checking pollution level in the river,” said officials.