Attempting to safeguard the aquatic ecosystem of River Gomti from weeds, Lucknow Municipal Corporation has now set up a 55 feet wide net to mitigate the problem of Eichhornia. In addition to this, the net will also help in controlling the amount of garbage and plastics that flows into the river. Executed at the Ghela bridge region, this intervention is expected to resolve a long-standing problem that has deteriorated the health of the river.
An attempt to arrest the inflow of Eichhornia
In view of the problems surfacing over the city’s lifeline, the Urban Development Minister conducted an inspection over a long stretch of the river on May 28. During the tour, it was observed that the unwanted weeds were flowing in the river from outside municipal boundaries too. Taking cognisance of this issue, the municipal authorities had decided to spread a net over the vulnerable areas of the river so that the advent of Eichhornia can be arrested.
Subsequently, the Municipal Commissioner, Ajay Dwivedi had ordered the Chief Engineer Ramnagina Tripathi to install a 55 feet wide and 5 feet high net over the Ghela bridge region of the river. Thereby, the current step has been taken and the officials have deployed 4 boats and 11 employees to get rid of the Eichhornia that gets caught in the net. Additionally, the chief engineer informed that the river has been relieved from the weeds that were already present there and other focused initiatives will also be taken to reduce the possibilities of any such problem in the future.
Knock Knock
Resting along the banks of River Gomti, Lucknow is benefitted in a number of ways by the endowments of this waterbody. Given the dependence of the city, it is important to acknowledge the need for the preservation and conservation of its ecosystem. Here, efforts at an individual level are the need of the hour if the river has to be protected for upcoming generations.
