LUCKNOW: Once considered as an agent of salvation and lifeline of Lucknow, Gomti today is neither sacred nor clean. And instead of attaining complete divine freedom, one may contract disease, if not serious ailments, just by stepping into its shallow waters. According to Hindu mythology the river is the daughter of Sage Vashist, and bathing in the waters of Gomti on Ekadashi (the eleventh day of the Hindu calendar) can wash away one's sins. Gomti is also considered as one of the many transcendental rivers in India. However, all is certainly not well with the river. And it is not just pollution, which has been killing the river gradually, but also indiscriminate encroachments of its banks have left Gomti in a state of complete disarray. And, the newly elected Samajwadi Party government faces an uphill task of reviving the ailing river. A beginning, though, has been made with a high-level committee headed by UP chief secretary Javed Usmani chalking out a plan to reclaim Gomti's lost banks. The ambitious plan aims to reclaim at least 50 hectare of the land along the 12-kilometre stretch of river that flows through the state capital. The state government claims of getting a hydro-geological study conducted of the banks. Usmani at a recent meeting had said that the project of the "highest priority" will be planned keeping in mind the location of temples and other religious structures on the banks. This is not the first time that the ailing river has attracted the state government's attention. After all it is the question of a river that runs right through the middle of a city, which is the capital of country's most populous state. It could have been Seine or Thames of Lucknow. But, it is no where even near that. From a lifeline, it has been reduced to a narrow stream at most of the places, thanks to callousness and negligence - both from the successive governments and citizens of Lucknow. With 22 km of river front in the middle of the city, Gomti could also have been utilised to attract tourists. But, all the efforts in this direction have either been symbolic or ill-planned. Result: We still don't have any concrete endeavour to develop the entire stretch. Whatever has been done, so far has been done only in bits and pieces. It was during the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Lucknow MP that the Gomti front was first spotted to be developed as a tourist spot. Before that we just had Shaheed Smarak, where tourists could enjoy boating and locals hang themselves in the evening. But, plans launched by the then BJP government's urban development minister Lalji Tandon remained a non-starter. Then in 2005, Azam Khan, the urban development minister in SP government, tried to give the plan a more concrete shape. So, cameras clicked and reporters jostled to get a sound byte from Khan, when he laid the foundation stone of the Gomti Bank Beautification Project. Almost seven years down the line, the very foundation of the foundation stone stands neglected in a remote corner of Bandha Road between Hanuman Setu and Nishatganj Bridge. "It is like digging our own grave," said former director of Geological Survey of India (GSI), Vijay Kumar Joshi. He said that the river is being fed from the ground and then it recharges the ground water. It is like give and take mechanism,'' he said. But the alarming rate of pollution and encroachment along the river banks has dented the river,'' he said. The coming up of 345 MLD sewage treatment plant (STP) did raise some hope. "But, the problem will continue until all the culverts of the city are connected to the STP," said environmentalist and former professor of Lucknow university, Indra Bir Singh. "Even a kid knows that Gomti is polluted. Just speaking about it won't solve the problem," he said. "It is the question of stopping dumping of organic matter into the river," he said. Green Suggestion For Clean Gomti Ban dumping of organic matter into the river - be it flower or garbage. It pollutes the river, decreases the oxygen levels and eventually kills fishes. Act fast against the encroachers along the river. The encroachment hinders recharge of river bed as well as the ground water. Ensure that the river has a necessary flow. Gomti is one of the few rivers that has its origin from a lake in Pilibhit. There are many such lakes, which can be resurrected to see that the river gets enough flow. Check dams should be constructed, so that the river has enough water and depth. Connected tributaries should also be taken care of. Small size sewage treatment plants (STPs) be installed in these tributaries. times news network If plans framed in the past were ever adhered to, then river Gomti would have been the USP of the City of Nawabs. The script to revive the ailing river was laid more than a decade back during the tenure of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who was also the MP from Lucknow. But, the river had to resign to its fate, until 2008 when a ray of hope flickered with the coming of River Front Development Project. Toeing the lines of Sabarmati River Front Development Project, the state government sketched out an exhaustive plan to set the 22-kilometre-stretch of river into what many may have called a 'dream project'. It remained a dream. The plan, though somewhat forgotten, still exist on papers. River Gomti, begins the concept paper on Integrated Urban Rejuvenation Project (IURP) prepared by Awas Bandhu of the department of housing and urban planning, attracts people. Hence riverfronts have emerged as lively urban cores of cities - their socio-cultural, intellectual and economic centres. "Today, everyone recognizes the value of public access to the waterfronts. A renewed waterfront offers investors a promising return on capital. Cities enjoy increased tourism, employment and growth. Residents gain new recreation opportunities and an expanded awareness of the natural aspects of river life, the paper said. "Most importantly, a vital and vibrant waterfront serves to unite residents and visitors in a shared experience of the city, just as the city's public places and streets," the paper added. Under the IURP, the responsibility was vested with the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) and the Lucknow Municipal Corporation. For part of the length, bund roads (near Ambedkar memorial) were developed. At two locations construction of bund was proposed and the project underwent under study - one near Hardoi Park on the upper end of the river and the other towards Gomti Nagar. Accordingly, the Gomti river front development plan was to involve pitching throughout its 22-km stretch by way of pitching on one side of the river. Ironically that remained confined to some priority areas in Gomtinagar. The papers said that the focus of the proposed project is to revive Gomti through river cleaning water retention and interventions, aimed at enhancing the functional and scenic heritage of the river. Special attention was to be laid to ensure reviving and conservation of the inner city fabric in the core city area along the river banks. His love for rivers makes Rajendra Singh different. A Magsaysay award winner for his pioneering work in community based efforts in water harvesting and water management, Singh, has been trying hard to convince the state government with his methods of river conservation. Popularly known as 'Waterman of India', Singh, however, is not satisfied with whatever efforts have been undertaken by the successive governments in Uttar Pradesh. He shares his views with TOI. Q: Are you satisfied with whatever various UP governments have done for Gomti? A: What have they done? Nothing. They have just exploited the river to its core and left. Q: You have been visiting Lucknow for the past five years. What have been you experience with the past government? A: No one had the time to meet me. I wanted to give a river policy to the then chief minister Mayawati. But she never met me. She or her officers did not have time. I sent three letters describing the policy. They probably found their way to a dustbin. Q: What are you expectations with the new government? A: I understand that the new chief minister is young. And he has done his masters in environmental engineering. So he is equipped with knowledge. I believe he understands the concept of river's ecological flow and how to preserve it. It remains to be seen if he shows the will to get cracking and restore the river to what it should be. Q: What do you think ails the river? A: It is not just about pollution in the river. It is about understanding the river and helping it to combat the menace. The river needs to have a sanctity. It needs to be respected not only by the government but by the people. That has not happened and that is why all efforts to revive the river have gone in vain. Q: You mean people are not sensitive towards Gomti? A: Obviously. And they can't be blamed. They have lost their confidence in the entire system. They look at the efforts undertaken by government to clean up the river with apprehension. Q: What about the non-government organisations? Can they play some role? A: Not all NGOs have a noble motive. We have to be very cautious of the organisations who undertake such drive. It is an irony that the government has not helped the organisations which actually want to work for the river. Q: Do you have any plans for Gomti? A: I have been raising the issue for quite sometime. I will be holding a three day workshop in Lucknow in May to create awareness about pollution in Gomti.