Delhi, Haryana & UP should work together to clean Yamuna: Amit Shah

“Apart from Delhi, chemicals are also coming into the Yamuna river through waste from other states like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, so all these states should work together to clean the river,” an official quoted Shah as saying in the meeting.

According to a senior official, issues related to STPs and drinking water, as well as the urgent need to reduce the flow of untreated water into the Yamuna, especially from the heavily polluted Najafgarh drain, were discussed.

“Najafgarh drain is one of the highly polluted drains in the Capital. Untreated water from this drain enters the Yamuna, polluting the river. A survey has found that the untreated sewage that enters this drain has increased. It now carries around 800 MGD of untreated sewage, which was earlier 600 MGD… Of this, 250 MGD of untreated waste comes from Haryana…,” said a senior official.

“Directions were issued to coordinate with other states to reduce the waste inflow from upstream areas because it not only leads to waterlogging but also poses a serious health risk for the people who live near the drain,” the official added.

According to an official statement, Shah directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to “work in action mode” to curb water pollution. He also said that the Delhi government should take continuous and effective steps to control rising industrial pollution.

He also underlined the need to improve the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) in the main drains of Najafgarh and Shahdara and stressed that a drone survey of the two drains should be conducted.

Shah laid special emphasis on cleaning the Yamuna and increasing the capacity of STPs to 1,500 MGD by 2028. “He said that Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh should together make efforts to restore the river’s health. There should be regularity and transparency in testing of the water flowing out of their STPs, and a third-party quality testing of STP outflow should be done,” an official said.

He also said there are several reservoirs in Delhi, and the government should make arrangements to use them for collecting rainwater. He also said that developing these reservoirs will promote tourism, officials added.

Officials further said that highlighting that increasing the e-flow in Yamuna was of utmost importance, Shah said that there is a need to talk to the Uttar Pradesh government on this issue and find a solution so that the flow of the river can be improved at the time of its entry into Delhi.

He also directed that a survey should be conducted regarding water supply in Delhi, so that it can be ascertained how much water is required to be supplied to cater to the people. “Uncontrolled water extraction through borewells is a big problem in Delhi, on which the Delhi Jal Board needs to work by making an action plan. He said that these borewells should be regularised in a phased manner,” said an official.