Gomti water level plunges to 3 year low

LUCKNOW: More than 14 lakh residents in Old City are grappling with drinking water crisis for 10 days now with the water level in Gomti river plummeting to a three-year low this scorching summer.
General manager, Jal Sansthan, SK Verma said the ideal water level of the lifeline river was 356ft, but it had dropped to 346.8ft since April. This, in turn, has reduced supply from the three surface water stations by 20%, he said.
“The three waterworks in Aishbagh, Balaganj and Gaughat, which channelise Gomti water for household consumption, can effectively work till the river level is 340ft. We have decided to ration water supply because the plunge is likely to continue till the arrival of monsoon expected in the last week of June,” Verma added.
Gomti is mainly a groundwater and monsoon-fed river, but is also dependent on a few tributaries from its origin in Pilibhit to Lucknow.
Sources said the supply from the three waterworks had been curtailed from 125 million litres per day (MLD) to 100 MLD, leading to scarcity in areas like Aishbagh, Balaganj, Rakabagnj, Thakurganj, Yahiyaganj and Musabagh. When TOI visited these areas, many residents complained of dirty water supply.
Residents rue poor supply, muddy water
We have been receiving erratic supply for the past few days and that too only muddy water. How can one even drink that?” asked Pragya Mishra of Balaganj. Chetan Singh of Aishbagh couldn’t agree more. “The water has sand and algae in it. It tastes disgusting even after we filter it,” said Singh.
In Rakabganj, Pritam Srivastava said the situation was pathetic for those who didn’t have water purifiers. “The water has been dirty for a week now. We don’t have a purifier at home. We are boiling water twice a day, but that doesn’t guarantee complete purity,” he said.