Several major projects aimed at cleaning the Yamuna river in Delhi are reported to be running behind schedule, according to a recent Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) report. The report, submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), highlights significant delays in projects undertaken by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to reduce pollution in the river.
The projects include the construction of new sewage treatment plants (STPs), rehabilitation of existing ones, trapping of drains, laying sewer lines in unauthorised colonies, desilting of trunk sewers, and utilisation of treated wastewater. These initiatives are part of an NGT panel’s “Action Plan to Rejuvenate Yamuna”.
According to the DPCC report, the work by the DDA to restore the Yamuna floodplains, divided into several sections, has been delayed by six to 12 months.
The report reveals that the construction of a new 124 million gallons per day (MGD) STP in Okhla has been delayed by nine months, and it is now expected to be completed by March next year. Similarly, the construction of a 7 MGD STP in Sonia Vihar has been delayed by four months, with a new completion target set for the end of 2023.
The 22-kilometre stretch of the Yamuna between Wazirabad and Okhla, which represents less than two per cent of the river’s total length, accounts for approximately 75 per cent of its pollution load.
High levels of pollution in the river are attributed to untreated wastewater from unauthorised colonies and jhuggi-jhopri clusters, as well as the poor quality of treated wastewater discharged from STPs and common effluent treatment plants.