Delhi, is facing significant setbacks due to protracted delays in upgrading the city’s sewage treatment plants (STPs).
An April progress report from the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) reveals a concerning pattern of missed deadlines, underscoring the formidable challenges in achieving a zero-net carbon, eco-friendly, and equitable urban environment. The persistent presence of toxic foam and waste in the river serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for efficient water management infrastructure. Deadlines for the critical upgrade of seven key facilities – located at Okhla Phase-5, Mehrauli, Ghitorni, Vasant Kunj, Yamuna Vihar Phase-1, Keshopur Phase-1, and Yamuna Vihar Phase-3 – have been extended to December 2026, significantly pushing back from previously missed targets in 2023 and 2024. This consistent slippage has drawn scrutiny from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), whose monthly reports have frequently highlighted that nearly half of the DJB’s 37 STPs are currently failing to meet stipulated pollution norms, necessitating immediate corrective measures.
According to a DJB official speaking anonymously, the delays over the past three years stem from a confluence of factors. These include a notable lack of qualified bidders for crucial projects, necessitating multiple re-tendering processes, coupled with perennial issues of fund shortages and unforeseen technical complications. While acknowledging these impediments, the official assured that efforts are underway to streamline processes for the remaining STPs, with an expectation of significant improvements by the close of the current year. However, this protracted timeline prolongs the environmental distress faced by the Yamuna. The National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) high-level committee had initially set a more aggressive timeline, mandating the upgrade of 11 STPs by December 2023 and the remainder by March 2024. Yet, despite being a year past the initial deadline, only the Najafgarh STP has been fully upgraded, as per the DJB’s own progress report. While trials have commenced at the Rohini Sector 25, Narela, and Coronation pillar units, the overall pace falls short of the urgency demanded by the river’s ecological crisis.
STPs are the cornerstone of any strategy to clean the Yamuna, which currently receives an estimated 3,600 million litres per day (mld) of raw sewage from Delhi, equating to approximately 80% of the city’s total water supply returning as wastewater. While Delhi’s 37 STPs possess an installed capacity to treat 667 million gallons per day (mgd), their actual capacity utilisation stands at a mere 565 mgd, resulting in a staggering 227 mgd of untreated wastewater directly polluting drains, water bodies, and ultimately, the Yamuna. The proposed upgrades across 18 plants aim to add approximately 113.5 mgd of sewage treatment capacity, a critical but currently delayed enhancement. Environmental activist Bhim Singh Rawat, associated with the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), voiced concerns over the recurring nature of these delays, citing a consistent pattern over the past 15 years. Rawat critically noted that the DJB’s project execution has been so sluggish that by the time a plant is upgraded, the sewage generation from its catchment area often surpasses the newly enhanced treatment levels.
He argued that the fundamental estimates for sewage generation are flawed, advocating for an honest course correction to genuinely address the city’s wastewater treatment challenges and safeguard the Yamuna for future generations, ultimately contributing to truly sustainable and equitable urbanisation.
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