NEW DELHI: Flanked by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday laid the foundation stone for the country’s largest sewage treatment complex in the city.
The facility, to be connected to six other sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the city, will further cleanse treated water from these units as well as process sewage water from other parts of the city.
The complex, once up and running, will be able to treat 56.4 crore litres of wastewater per day.
The complex is tipped to go into operation in three years. Apart from the CM and the Union minister, the event also featured Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev and senior officials of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).
Wiser after the drubbing at the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha elections, the chief minister appears to have toned down his rhetoric vis-avis the Centre from the one bordering on acerbity.
In a subtle shift from his previous no-holds-barred attacks on the Centre, often accusing it of not letting his government function, the CM has, of late, been stressing on teamwork.
Kejriwal even met Sekhawat recently, requesting the Centre’s support in driving waterrelated projects in the city.
“Yamuna is the lifeline of the national capital. We are grateful to the Centre and all other agencies for coming together to set up this sewage treatment complex. Both the Centre and the Delhi government are committed to a cause of a clean Yamuna. We will accomplish this mission as a team,” the chief minister said.
“Water conservation needs to become a public movement involving every citizen of India. We will have to rise above our political and personal beliefs and unite to conserve water. Of the 298 projects sanctioned for cleaning the Yamuna, 14 are in Delhi. The 500 MLD (million litre daily) water that this plant will generate is a huge resource. We need to ensure that it is not wasted,” Sekhawat said.