LUCKNOW, Aug. 4 -- Despite repeated clean-up drives, the Gomti remains choked with water hyacinth as recent efforts to restore the river yet again yielded short-lived results. On Thursday evening, its banks revealed large swathes of the river covered by dense water hyacinth. Observers said officials cleared one stretch while neglecting upstream sources, allowing weeds and pollutants to flow back downstream and nullifying earlier efforts. This was barely weeks after mayor Sushma Kharkwal and municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar directed civic officials to take immediate steps for the Gomti's cleaning and constant monitoring. The river, which originates from Gomat Taal near Madho Tanda in Pilibhit, flows around 900 km and passes through Lucknow, Sultanpur and Jaunpur before joining the Ganga at Saidpur near Varanasi. The municipal commissioner, when contacted, said Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) was not officially responsible for cleaning the river, adding, "It falls under the irrigation department. However, we are still supporting the mission." He admitted that LMC was bringing in one more water skimmer and may float tenders for hiring additional manpower, but he remained unsure if these efforts would suffice to clean the entire city stretch. Kumar also pointed out that untapped drains were discharging raw sewage into the river, worsening the pollution. "STPs (Sewage treatment plants) need to be constructed by Jal Nigam to intercept these drains. Only then can the water quality be restored," he said. Meanwhile, an official from the irrigation department stated that Namami Gange was responsible for the cleaning of the Gomti as the project fell under the latter's jurisdiction. Mithilesh Kumar Mishra, the head of the Namami Gange unit overseeing the cleaning of the Gomti, said he would need some time to respond, but added that the work on the project was underway. Venkatesh Dutta, an environmental expert, said the unchecked growth of water hyacinth in the Gomti was a result of untreated sewage, solid waste, and stagnant water flow. "Water hyacinth is thriving because it is getting nutrients from the untreated sewage and waste that flow directly into the river," said Dutta. He added that nutrients present in the riverbed mud-never cleaned-also contributed to the plant's rapid growth. He pointed out that multiple physical obstructions near areas like Kudiya Ghat and Pakka Pul prevented the natural flow of the river. "The stagnant water allows hyacinth to gather and multiply." Another environmental activist Deepika Chaturvedi said authorities must address the root of the problem to weed it out. "Water hyacinth grows rapidly in polluted and stagnant water. This won't stop unless authorities address the root problem - raw sewage and solid waste flowing directly into the river." Chaturvedi cited the successful example of the Gomti's revival between Pilibhit and Shahjahanpur, where a 47-kilometre stretch was reclaimed after two senior officials took the lead and removed encroachments. "Such a revival is doable in Lucknow, where the stretch is only around 30 kilometres," she said. She added that similar issues were now surfacing in Barabanki as well. Dutta further said that untreated solid and liquid waste entering the river near Gau Ghat worsened the issue. "Manual cleaning is not effective. Even if a drive is conducted, hyacinths return within a week, often twice as previously." He warned that unless permanent and temporary obstructions were removed and the discharge of untreated waste was stopped, the problem would continue to grow. HT has reported on the deteriorating health of the river from time to time. In May, a comprehensive report cited a field survey and scientific observations, which revealed that the river had become unfit even for bathing. The report documented the presence of water hyacinth, dissolved faecal coliform (a clear indicator of sewage contamination), and methane - a potent greenhouse gas, suggesting decay and pollution right down to the riverbed. The survey, conducted in April and backed by drone footage, was conducted jointly by Venkatesh Dutta from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), students of environmental sciences, LMC officials, and Ecological Task Force. It had found methane hotspots in key stretches of the river. "Large methane bubbles were observed downstream of Sarkata Nala, a major drain pouring untreated sewage directly into the river," Prof Dutta had stated in the report. As of now, there is no coordinated and multi-agency strategy in place to deal with the pollution in the river. Experts said until inter-departmental action plans, STP upgrades, strict regulation of industrial discharge, and community participation were implemented, the Gomti's health would continue to decline....