The COVID-19 lockdown has been reported as a “ventilator” for the reinstatement of natural resources across the globe. Hence, the present study attempts to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the water quality of River Gomti across its stretch of ~960 km through the assessment of ‘Water Quality Index’ (WQI). The study also highlights the potential risk of faecal-oral transmission of COVID-19 through intake of river water facing the issue of direct discharge of domestic sewage. A deterioration in the water quality was witnessed at ~69% sampling locations during the lockdown period (May 2020). Interestingly, none of the water samples during the pre-lockdown, lockdown, and post-lockdown periods across the whole stretch belonged to the “excellent” category (WQI<25). The DO levels fell across ~69% and ~88% of the sites during the lockdown and post-lockdown periods, respectively. Moreover, there was an increase in the BOD 5 levels across ~69% and 75% of the sites during lockdown and post-lockdown periods, respectively. These findings indicate that the release of sewage without or with partial treatment is a chief contributor of water pollution in the groundwater fed River Gomti. Thereby, highlighting the possible risk of faecal-oral transmission of the corona virus, and creating a major concern for the residents across its stretch. The urban sprawl and riverfront development in Lucknow city also emerge as potential causes of water quality deterioration in River Gomti, considering that the water quality at five sites within the city was under the “unfit” category regardless of the lockdown situation. Thus, the urgent need of management of domestic sewage release into the river and further research on the potential risk of faecal-oral transmission of COVID-19 have been suggested in the study.

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The aim of the current study was to evaluate the status of heavy metal contamination in River Gomti for Lucknow district. The quantification of the pollution levels in River Gomti over a stretch of ~ 61 km, has been attempted through heavy metal pollution index (HPI). The results suggested that 30% of the total sites fall under the category of 'highly polluted' (HPI > 30), and 60% of the sites are designated under 'critically polluted' category (HPI > 100). Further, it was found that the mean HPI value across the stretch of the study area was 149.29 signifying towards the category of 'critical pollution' (HPI > 100). The principal component analysis results suggest strong positive loadings on arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) similar to the hierarchal cluster analysis (HCA) results which signified towards close association between As and Pb. A 'good' correlation (0.51 < r < 0.89) has been found for As with Pb and Mn. The possibility of anthropogenic intrusion as a cause for heavy metal contamination at all sites is also signified through the results from HCA. Thus, the untreated discharge from the agricultural runoff, sewage system including domestic and industrial wastewater has emerged as a potential cause of heavy metal contamination in the river water.

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In the current study, attempts were made to analyze the effect of COVID‐19 lockdown on the heavy metal concentrations in River Gomti through comparison with pre‐COVID‐19 lockdown status. The concentration of all the six heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn, and Pb) clearly shows a significant reduction, highlighting the impact of closure of agricultural, industrial, and commercial activities. The values of heavy metal pollution index (HPI) at all sites have also decreased with the maximum improvement at Site S1 (Chandrika Devi), signifying the impact of reduced agricultural runoff into the river from nearby fields. The correlation analysis stated a strong correlation between HPI and Cd, signifying the relatively high weightage of Cd in pollution levels. Findings from the Caboi diagram suggest classification of all water samples under the “near neutral‐low metal” category.

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