The Gomti, considered to be a lifeline of Lucknow and one of Uttar Pradesh’s most important rivers, is witnessing a renewed and comprehensive conservation effort under the Yogi Adityanath government. The approach has moved beyond isolated cleaning exercises to a structured strategy centred on sewage interception, drain tapping, flow diversion, sewage treatment capacity and river rejuvenation.
A drone survey has identified 45 drains flowing into the Gomti, compared with 33 drains previously recorded in municipal records. The discovery of 12 additional drains has prompted the state government to prepare a wider sewage-management plan covering all major discharge points. Lucknow currently has 10 STPs with a combined treatment capacity of around 629.5 MLD.
The government is therefore pursuing a multi-pronged plan to ensure that existing treatment capacity is effectively utilised while additional capacity is created wherever required. Therefore, the success of the rejuvenation programme will depend not only on constructing STPs but also on ensuring that drains are properly connected, treatment plants operate efficiently and treated wastewater is managed according to prescribed standards. The latest action plan prepared under the Namami Gange programme seeks to address one of the biggest challenges facing the Gomti in Lucknow—untreated sewage entering the river through urban drains. The government’s strategy is based on a simple but important principle: polluted water should be intercepted before it reaches the river. Instead of allowing sewage to flow untreated through drains into the Gomti, the drains are being tapped and their flows diverted towards Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). However, the gap between sewage generation, actual discharge and available treatment capacity makes it necessary to expand both the sewerage network and treatment infrastructure. The Gomti initiative is part of a broader effort by the Yogi government to reduce pollution in rivers across Uttar Pradesh. The state has placed considerable emphasis on sewage treatment and interception under Namami Gange, recognising that urban wastewater is among the principal pressures on rivers passing through major cities. The government’s Gomti plan also signals a shift from merely removing visible pollution to long-term river rejuvenation. A healthy river requires not only reduced sewage discharge but also better management of its catchment, drains, wastewater infrastructure and surrounding urban environment. The scale of the challenge remains substantial. The city generates enormous quantities of wastewater, while sewer connectivity is still incomplete. The Yogi government’s emerging model places these elements within one framework: identify every major pollution source, intercept sewage, divert it to treatment plants, augment treatment capacity and continuously monitor the system.