National Mission for Clean Ganga gears up to clean 22 km Yamuna stretch in Delhi

In a bid to restore the purity and cleanliness of the Yamuna river, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) through its Namami Gange project is set to clean Ganga’s largest tributary-Yamuna river on a 22 km stretch in Delhi.

The river stretch has been identified by the authorities in the national capital. They will try to prohibit the flow of sewage in the river. They are also planning to redirect the sewage flow into the sewage treatment plants (STPs). NMCG has also taken up the initiative of setting up another STP in partnership with the Delhi government to support the cause. In order to achieve their goal to revive the holy river, they will also try to stop the disposal of waste from factories in the river. The NMCG group aims to clear dirt, dust, filth and the untreated chemical waste being dumped in the river.

NMCG's bid to clean Yamuna in Delhi

"If we look at it, the flow of Yamuna...up to where the Chambal joins, it is very bad because there is a lot of pollution coming to the sector. It gets purified only after the Chambal joins, which later joins and that water goes and meets at Ganga. The identified stretch is the most polluted stretch of River Yamuna in Delhi. It does not see any flow because it is basically stagnant water and there is no additional water coming into it," said G Asok Kumar, Director General of National Mission for Clean Ganga to ANI.

"We are now trying to focus on getting this Yamuna water clean. In Delhi, there are about 18 Nallahs, which flow into this 22 km stretch, which brings in a lot of water", he added.

 3,200 MLD total sewage is generated every day

He added, "Dirty water from Haryana and UP comes, along with the waste water of Delhi. The total sewage water, including dirty water from three states is generated out of Delhi. Around 3,200 megaliters per day (MLD) total sewage is accumulated, out of which the capacity to treat is 2,600. We have 24 STPs that treat around 2600 MLD and there is a gap of around 650 MLD. So, this has to be addressed".

Coronation Pillar Sewage Treatment Plant in Delhi, one of the largest STPs, was recently visited by senior officials from the NMCG to assess the ongoing construction work. This STP would treat 318 MLD of wastewater and is being built at a cost of Rs. 515 crore, with a capital expenditure of Rs. 414 crore. The National Mission for Clean Ganga is responsible for 50% of the capital costs and the rest will be borne by the Delhi government. The NMCG is also constructing Decentralized-STPs in Delhi parks in partnership with the Delhi government.

The NMCG chief said, "What have done in last few years since the Namami Gange formed, we have sanctioned 23 projects in the Yamuna sector for about 4,200 Crore to look after the issues of pollution in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh sector so that the entire stretch of Yamuna is cleaned up".

With ANI Inputs
Image: ANI