Lucknow: Diversion of water between Kudiya Ghat and Gomti Barrage for gate repairs has exposed stretches of the riverbed, offering a chance for the restoration of the polluted Gomti.Talking to TOI, experts said that as water levels receded, thick deposits of black sludge, plastic waste, decayed organic matter and invasive vegetation became visible, exposing years of untreated sewage and urban waste entering the river through drains.Head of environmental science dept at BBAU, Prof Venkatesh Dutta, said: “For years, sewage and waste from drains settled on the riverbed as toxic sludge, reducing dissolved oxygen and blocking sunlight, which harms aquatic life.”“Removing sludge and invasive plants like water hyacinth can improve water quality and restore ecological balance. The temporary stoppage of flow has created conditions for scientific desilting before normal flow resumes,” he said.Head of geology dept, Lucknow University, Prof Dhruv Sen Singh, said restoring the exposed riverbed could improve groundwater recharge.“Compacted sludge reduces natural percolation. Cleaning the riverbed now can revive its role as a recharge channel,” he said, adding that the repair work should include desilting, drain interception, sewage treatment and removal of invasive vegetation.Experts also flagged inaction by authorities. Prof Dutta said a meeting held in Jan by the divisional commissioner with officials of irrigation, LMC and Jal Nigam decided to clean the riverbed during diversion, but no work has started.Officials said the plan was discussed earlier.Executive engineer, irrigation dept, Mukesh Kumar Vaish, said LMC was asked to begin dredging after the flow was stopped, but work was yet to start.LMC officials said they did not have the capacity for large-scale dredging.Engineer Manoj Prabhat said that floating waste and hyacinth would be removed, but clearing sludge from the 8-km stretch required specialised machinery and large-scale disposal.“We don’t have such capacity,” he said.Officials of Jal Nigam refused to comment on the issue.
