LUCKNOW, Oct. 29 -- With chief minister Yogi Adityanath setting an 18-month deadline to tap all untapped nullahs flowing into the Gomti River, government departments in Lucknow are racing against time to meet the target. The directive, issued during the CM's visit to the riverbanks on Monday, has pushed officials to expedite long-pending river cleanup and sewage treatment projects.

The task ahead is formidable. As Lucknow's population continues to expand, cleaning the Gomti and setting up new sewage treatment plants (STPs) have become major challenges for the administration.

Under its long-term plan, the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam has proposed STPs at major sewage outfall points, Jiamau, Wazirganj, Nilmatha, CGPS, Mastemau, Pipraghat, and ...