Delhi Jal Board Clears ₹4,500 Crore Yamuna Rejuvenation Projects
Context
The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has approved Yamuna rejuvenation projects worth nearly ₹4,500 crore. The package focuses on expanding sewage treatment capacity, strengthening sewer infrastructure and restoring the Wazirabad pondage to improve the river’s water quality and enhance Delhi’s raw water storage capacity.
Key Highlights
- The approved projects aim to improve wastewater management by increasing sewage treatment capacity, expanding sewerage infrastructure and reducing the discharge of untreated sewage into the Yamuna.
- The programme includes the establishment of Decentralised Sewage Treatment Plants (DSTPs), expansion of sewer networks, modernisation of existing Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and strengthening of sludge management systems across the National Capital Territory.
- Restoration of the Wazirabad pondage has been sanctioned to enhance raw water storage, thereby improving Delhi’s long-term drinking water availability and resilience.
- The initiative seeks to narrow the gap between sewage generation and treatment, addressing one of the major causes of persistent pollution in the Yamuna River.
Key Concepts
- Yamuna River: The largest tributary of the Ganga, originating from the Yamunotri Glacier in Uttarakhand. It flows through Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh before merging with the Ganga at Prayagraj.
- National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG): The nodal agency responsible for the conservation and rejuvenation of the Ganga basin, including pollution abatement measures for major tributaries such as the Yamuna.
- Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974: Provides the legal framework for preventing and controlling water pollution while ensuring the maintenance and restoration of the quality of rivers, lakes and other water bodies.