The Delhi Government will release treated water from two Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), Coronation Pillar and Yamuna Vihar, into the Yamuna downstream at Wazirabad as part of a plan to improve the river’s environmental flow in the Capital, officials said on Saturday. According to officials, 454 million litres per day (MLD) of treated water from the Coronation Pillar plant and 227 MLD from the Yamuna Vihar plant will be released into the Yamuna.
This move is aimed at reviving the 22-kilometre stretch of the river between Wazirabad and Okhla — the section that carries the maximum pollution load in Delhi. A conveyance system will be developed by the Delhi Jal Board to carry the treated water from both STPs to the river.
While the survey work has been completed, a detailed project report is currently being finalised.
The Government is also seeking to divert 500 cusecs of water from the Upper Ganga Canal into the Yamuna after obtaining clearance from the Uttar Pradesh Government. This diversion is part of the larger target to achieve the environmental flow (e-flow) recommended by the National Institute of Hydrology — 23 cubic metres per second (cumecs) — at the Hathinikund Barrage. At present, only 10 cumecs are being released, leaving a gap of 13 cumecs.
Officials said around 6.23 cumecs of additional treated water is expected to be discharged by October this year. `8.7 crore has been sanctioned for the project. A feasibility study for the conveyance system is also in progress.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta recently said that rejuvenating the Yamuna was a key priority for her Government and had featured prominently in the BJP’s campaign during the Delhi Assembly elections earlier this year. After a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, she said both the Centre and the Delhi Government are working together in phases to make the Yamuna cleaner.
The Yamuna flows for about 48 kilometres through Delhi, of which the Wazirabad to Okhla segment, accounting for less than two per cent of the river’s total length, contributes nearly 80 per cent of its pollution in the city, according to official estimates.