NEW DELHI: In a renewed push to clean the Yamuna River, Water Minister Parvesh Verma has ordered a third-party audit of all 37 sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the capital to assess their actual performance and capacity.
The directive follows a review meeting with the Delhi Jal Board’s (DJB) sewage management team, where the minister was briefed on the status of ongoing rehabilitation and upgradation projects.
“We have directed the DJB to carry out a third-party audit of all the STPs to get more clarity on the installed treatment capacity and the actual treatment being carried out,” the minister said.
Of the 37 STPs, 18 are currently being upgraded to improve efficiency. Three new STPs at Sonia Vihar, Delhi Gate, and Okhla are also under development and are expected to boost treatment capacity by an estimated 47 million gallons per day (MGD). Despite this, untreated sewage continues to enter the Yamuna, prompting further scrutiny and intervention.
“A substantial amount of untreated sewage is still entering the Yamuna. The Delhi government is committed to reducing this pollution load through comprehensive interventions. The audit is one such step once the reports are in, further directives will be issued to improve and expand the sewerage treatment network,” Verma said. The Delhi government has allocated `500 crore in the 2025–26 budget for STP repairs and modernisation.