Gomti water level drops; lack of water supply from Sharda canal to blame

Lucknow, May 19 As high temperatures begin to set in, the water level of Gomti river in Lucknow has dropped two feet below the normal level of 346.7 feet.

The lack of supply from Sharda Canal for the past one month is a factor is dropping of water level.

The normal level is the lowest "intake point" for Jalkal's pumping station at Gaughat water works for supplying drinking water to the Old City areas.

When the water level drops below normal, the pumping station is unable to draw water from the river.

According to officials, if the same situation continues for four more days, there will be a water crisis in about 16 localities of the Old City, including Aminabad, Aishbagh, Nakhas, Rakabganj, Naka, KKC, Lalbagh, and Latouche Road, overall affecting about 10 lakh population.

Officials said that if the supply by the irrigation department from Sharda Canal does not resume in the next couple of days, they will have to cut down supply to residents by 30 minutes, both in the morning and evening.

The supply from the Sharda Canal has been cut off for the past one month because the water from it is being diverted to villages for refurbishing ponds and other water bodies.

This is the second time this year that the Gomti water level has dropped below normal.

Earlier, it happened in February because of lack of winter rains.

In fact, low water discharge in Gomti has become a problem in the past 10 years due to decline in average annual rainfall and indiscriminate ground water extraction.

High temperatures in summers often aggravate the problem.

According to Jal Sansthan general manager, Ram Kailash, talks are underway with the irrigation department to release 100 cusecs of water daily from the Sharda canal to the Gomti river.

"We hope to avert the crisis as the irrigation department has assured to resume supply in the next 4-5 days," he said.

Geologist Prof Dhruvsen Singh from Lucknow University said that there is a need to find a concrete plan to save the Gomti.

He explained that the river originates from Gomat Taala in Pilibhit and relies on groundwater and rainwater for its sustenance.

However, over the past decade, there has been a consistent decrease in rainfall, leading to a reduction in the river's water level.

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