Polluted Gomti river prevents devotees from taking a dip on Makar Sankranti
The Gomti rive which is Lucknow’s lifeline is battling severe pollution as people continue to throw garbage in it.
Many devotees returned without taking a holy dip in Gomti river on MakarSankranti on Monday because of pollution in the river.
The pollution of the river which is Lucknow’s lifeline, has been rising with garbage piled up from Kudiya Ghat to Tulsi Ghat through which the river flows.
“People throw flowers etc in river even though government has asked us not to. The government should have cleaned it ahead of Makar Sankranti,” a devotee said.
Expressing disappointment, a local resident Vishal Rastogi, took a swipe at the government saying, “There is a dire need for the state government to come up with a solution soon to clean the Gomti river. The water of this river has turned dark. Merely giving speeches on cleanliness drive is not enough.”
Another resident, Shailesh Kumar, told ANI: “Earlier 7000 to 8000 people used to come every year here to perform rituals. After the river got polluted, all of us have stopped coming here. The government must do something about it. Earlier people used to come here for boating. However, the leisure activity has been stopped due to the presence of toxins in the water.”
The river which plays a major role in Hindu rituals, but there is no fresh water flow into it due to the presence of plastic waste.
