Shah orders 20-day review of Yamuna revitalisation project

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah chaired a review meeting on the issue of Yamuna revitalisation in Delhi on Monday and directed to review the progress of work in the Yamuna Rejuvenation project every 20 days. He directed the governments of Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, along with all concerned ministries, to work towards cleaning the Yamuna not in a fragmented manner, but through an integrated action plan driven by a spirit of teamwork.

Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal, Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Pravesh Sahib Singh and many senior officials were present in the meeting.

Shah stated that the three states of Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh must collectively ensure a standard ecological flow in the Yamuna River.  He announced that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would be signed between the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to prevent waste from Delhi’s dairies from entering the Yamuna; this waste will instead be converted into biogas and manure.

The Home Minister further added that under the NDDB model, dung from dairies and gaushalas (cow shelters) would be transported directly to gas and manure plants, alongside the scientific management of waste along the banks of the Yamuna.

The Home Minister stated that the desilting of drains discharging into the Yamuna River is proceeding rapidly. Of the 28.57 lakh MT of silt targeted for removal this year, 97 per cent has already been extracted, and the remainder will be removed by June 15. He directed that the silt be utilised in various manufacturing projects to prevent it from washing back into the Yamuna during the rains.

Shah stated that 129 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) have been constructed so far across Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, and an additional 59 STPs will be built by the end of 2027. The Home Minister directed that the functioning of STPs, industrial waste management, and discharges from all drains be closely monitored. He emphasized that the focus should be on achieving precise results rather than merely satisfactory performance.

Shah further directed that the construction of industrial Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) and dairy waste treatment plants must be undertaken with future requirements in mind.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that arrangements should be made for continuous monitoring of various purification parameters like Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) in all the drains and water sources connecting to Yamuna. Along with this, detailed action plan and execution date of all the projects of Yamuna Rejuvenation Project should be fixed and arrangements for their long-term maintenance should also be ensured. The Home Minister also directed to review the progress of work in Yamuna Rejuvenation Project every 20 days.