Riverfront development is one of the important pervasive modifiers of river morphology and processes affecting river corridors, floodplains and associated riparian zones. The Irrigation and Water Resources Department of Government of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, undertook an ambitious project of riverfront development during April 2015 to March 2017 in the capital city of Lucknow on Gomti River, a meandering perennial tributary of Ganges which is fed by rainfall and groundwater. Under this project, straightening and shortening of the river channel was done by controlling its width, shape and riverbed through constructing a heavily reinforced diaphragm wall on both banks on an 8.1 km stretch. River floodplain width was restricted to 240 m out of 450 m and clear waterway to 100-125 m from existing 250 m to reclaim about 200 ha of land upstream and downstream of Gomti barrage in the city. This paper assesses the loss of river processes and ecosystems under changed hydraulic regimes post riverfront development project. We observed eight types of habitat in the undisturbed segments of the Gomti River, while only two major habitat types were present in the channelized segments. The paper argues that, due to heavy channel engineering led riverfront development and other related morphometric changes, there would be decline in freshwater species and water quality, lowering of groundwater tables in the city reach, resulting from diminishing base flow and flooding of the downstream areas. The river is fed by rainfall and groundwater, maintaining variable flow regimes with a very lean flow during the summer season. The reduction in flow, in the absence of water augmentation measures, will further impact the minimum environmental flows required to maintain the healthy ecosystems in the river broadening the area of ecological disturbances. This study can provide valuable insights for future projects on riverfront development and restoration measures in India and elsewhere.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the potential impact of human-induced intervention on hydrological regimes of Gomti river, one of the important tributaries of the Ganga Alluvial Plain in India aiming at an overall assessment of the status quo. Design/methodology/approach – The research methodology includes following four components: study of basin morphology, sub-surface geology and sediments profile of Gomti river; a comparison of LANDSAT satellite data of 1978 and IRS-1C/LISS-III satellite data of 2008 to study the changes occurring in the built-up area, forest and water bodies of the basin; study of flow patterns in different stretches of river Gomti from 1978 to 2012; and water quality assessment at different sites from origin of the river to its confluence in the Ganges. Findings – The paper shows that over the years, the water source in the tributaries feeding the river Gomti has shrunk, reducing the flow in the river. A steady increase in developed land area due to rapid urban sprawl has occurred in recent decades, due to which forest cover and wetlands are decreasing, the river and floodplains are getting fragmented, the hydromorphology changed considerably and several tributaries are getting dried as a result of indiscriminate exploitation of groundwater. There is no flow in the initial 57 km stretch of the river with wide encroachment in active floodplains. Groundwater over-extraction to meet the demands of increasing population and intensive agriculture has led to reduction in base-flows and in some reaches even negative. Extensive land-use changes in the Gomti river basin (GRB) severely impact the river and floodplain connectivity, the impacts are already evident as several tributaries are getting dried during the non-monsoon months. Research limitations/implications – The information provided by the paper for GRB is significant for the understanding of the basin and to formulate integrated management and development plan of the basin. Significant changes have taken place in the GRB over the recent past and are still continuing. Because of the chosen river basin and the site-specific research approach, the research results may lack generalization. However, it provides a general framework of analysis which could be applied to other regions. Practical implications – River channels with their floodplains and adjoining ecosystems have to be addressed as interconnected ecological entity in a holistic way. This requires comprehensive observations of the river systems and catchment characteristics using long-term data. The paper could be used as the starting point in the development of management and development strategies for the basin. Originality/value – River and its floodplain offer multiple ecosystem services and deserve an integrated approach for their conservation and restoration. Conservation and protection of ecologically intact river-floodplain systems is extremely important and urgently needs integrated planning and management. This paper has adopted a integrated approach to study the integrity of river ecosystems and the potential pressures on them.

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The availability and quality of groundwater for drinking purpose is steadily decreasing due to influx of contaminants and high rate of extraction. Fluoride contamination in groundwater is posing serious threat to human health, being a reason of dental and skeletal fluorosis. The present study is aimed to assess the current status of fluoride in groundwater resources of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, and geoclassify the location on the scale of fluorosis threat. The study was conducted in eight blocks of Lucknow, targeting 190 spots. 82.11% of groundwater samples were found within the permissible limit, while 17.89% samples revealed fluoride concentration higher than the permissible limit (1.5 mg/L) prescribed by WHO in 2011. It was observed that around 81.47% population of Sarojininagar, 62.51% population of Kakori, 43.03% population of Mohanlalganj, 6.16% population of Gosaiganj, and 5.47% population of Chinhat are currently exposed to high fluoride concentration (> 1.5 mg/L) and prone to risk of adverse health effect posed by excess fluoride consumption. If the current scenario continues, the proportion of population vulnerable to fluoride toxicity may increase in the future.

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