CONSERVATION PLAN OF RIVER GOMTI

A DISSERTATION

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the award of the degree

of

MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY

in

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT OF RIVER AND LAKES

By

MANSI TRIPATHI

ALTERNATE HYDRO ENERGY CENTRE

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, ROORKEE
ROORKEE- 247667 (INDIA)
June, 2013
 
 ABSTRACT

Rivers are considered as lifelines ever since time immemorial. Several important human
civilizations were born and thrived along the banks of major rivers like Ganges, Nile,
Euphrates, etc. In India agriculture is the backbone of economy and the rivers play a very
important role in the irrigation of agricultural lands. With increasing technical know-how,
rivers are no longer taken as just sources of water, instead they are also considered as sources
of transportation, irrigation, hydroelectricity, etc. The river Gumti, Gomti or Gomati River
flows throught the districts of Lucknow, Jaunpur, Sultanpur, Lakhimpur, etc. and is a tributary
of the holy Ganga. As per ancient Hindu scriptures, Gomti river is the daughter of Rishi
Vashist, and one can wash away one’s sin by taking a bath in the river on the day of auspicious
day of Ekadashi.

The river Gomti begins its journey about 3 km East of Pilibhit at an elevation of 200 meters.
The areas lying between Ramganga and Sharda rivers in the upper parts of Ganga form a part
of its drainage. After flowing South across Lucknow, Barabhanki, Sultanpur, Faizabad and
Jaunpur, it finally meets river Ganga near Varanasi.

The stretch of river Gomti passing through Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh has been selected for this
study as Lucknow is the capital city Uttar Pradesh, India. The urban influences of Lucknow on
the river mainly include littering of polythenes on the banks, solid waste dhalaos, excessive
growth of Jal Kumbhi, discharge of untreated sewage into the river by the 26 drains emptying
into it. The various environmental issues of river pollution caused by sewage discharge by
untapped drains, quality of effluents discharged from sewage treatment plants are discussed and
conclusion has been drawn. Conservation measures taken by the Government under various
Action Plans and Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and other agencies are
discussed and suggestions to improve the water quality of river Gomti are included in this
report. This dissertation work is carried out for comprehensive conservation plan including the
evaluation of several water quality parameters from various sites and evaluation efficiency of
the STPs, water budgeting of the drainage system, Solid waste management, River Front
development, Public participation, etc. The gap between standard water quality parameters and
actual water quality and reasons for these gaps have been analyzed.
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Lack of coordination between various government agencies responsible for Gomti river have
been discussed as a major factor for lack of apparent improvement in the status of Gomti.
Storm water of the city shall also be analyzed as an additional reason for pollution of the river.

On the analysis of its water quality, it was found that Biological Oxygen Demand of the water
continuously increased along its course whereas, the dissolved oxygen content was found to be
continuously decreasing along its course at an alarming rate. The matter is of serious concern as
water is drawn from the river for drinking and other consumptive uses; whereas the raw water
intake point lies just on the boundary as per the designated best uses classification for quality of
water fit for supply after treatment. During the pre monsoon season at times the water becomes
unfit for supply.

The proposed conservation plan for Gomti river cover several aspects like sewage treatment,
water quality analysis, water balance, river front development, public awareness and public
participation, etc. and aim at restoring the heath of the river stretch within the Lucknow city as
well as improving its aesthetics. Cost estimates have been prepared for all the aspects and total
cost of the plan has been estimated. Some measures like river cruises, recreation centre, etc.
also been suggested for revenue generation and promoting sustainability of the plan.

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