There is consistent improvement of quality of water ever since work on cleaning of the Najafgarh Drain was started in August last year under the supervision of Delhi Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena after the constitution of the High Level Committee (HLC). The quality of water in river Yamuna also improved since then, the fifth meeting of the Committee noted on Friday.
On a month-on-month basis from January, 2023 to May, 2023, significantly noticeable and consistent improvement was noticed in the BOD levels in the water of the Najafgarh Drain and the River in comparison to the same months in the year 2022. Carried out by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) as per standard protocol of testing water samples at different locations, the BOD levels in the Najafgarh Drain stood at 80 mg/l in January, 2022. The levels came down to 53 mg/l in January, 2023.
The figure for May, 2022 stood at 76 mg/l that came down to 48 mg/l in May, 2023. In case of Yamuna, at ISBT, where the Najafgarh Drain meets the river, BOD levels that stood at 42 mg/l in January, 2022, came down to 38 mg/l in January, 2023. The figure for May, 2022 stood at 55 mg/l that came down to 38 mg/l in May, 2023.
Similarly, in the Yamuna at the site after the Shahdara Drain meets the river, BOD levels that stood at 60 mg/l in January, 2022, came down to 56 mg/l in January, 2023. The figure for May, 2022 stood at 80 mg/l and came down to 48 mg/l in May, 2023.
Reacting to a presentation made to this effect, Saxena expressed satisfaction over the fact that coordinated efforts being put in by various stakeholder departments had begun to bear fruits.
He however, cautioned the officers against complacency and reiterated that all timelines with regards to works outlined under various heads must be met and there should be seamless inter-departmental and agency coordination.
It came out during the meeting that as a result of this enhanced coordination, critical projects that included setting up of STPs / DSTPs, that had been pending for years together due to land related issues had finally got an impetus,
with the outstanding issues getting solved. In as many as 29 projects held up for years due to non-availability of land,17 have been allotted land by DDA and revenue
department during the past one month due to intervention by the LG. The remaining are also expected to be sorted expeditiously.
The HLC has been monitoring the rejuvenation of Yamuna under eight specific verticals with specific targets, under which plan of action is formed and executed by the agencies concerned.
These include (i) 100 per cent treatment of sewage, (ii) trapping of all drains, (iii) construction of sewerage networks in unauthorised colonies & JJ clusters, (iv) industrial effluent management through CETPs, (v) septage management, (vi) restoration and rejuvenation of Yamuna floodplains, (vii) utilisation of treated waste water; and (viii) environmental management plan of Najafgarh Jheel.