NEW DELHI: Delhi Water and Industries Minister Satyender Jain on Wednesday said the Delhi government will lay a masterplan to treat 155 MGD wastewater being discharged into the Yamuna river from neighbouring states.
Chairing a meeting with senior officials of Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and Irrigation and Flood Control Department (I&FC), Jain said: “Yamuna does not belong to a particular state but the whole country and to achieve the target of cleaning it, we will do whatever is needed.”
He further said cleaning the Yamuna was the “top priority” of AAP government.
Yamuna receives 105 MGD of wastewater from Haryana via two major drains; 90 MGD from Badshahpur drain in Gurugram and Drain No.6 from Sonipat. Similarly, 50 MGD of wastewater from Uttar Pradesh falls into Ghazipur Drain, which drains into the Yamuna.
The drains coming from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh will be treated either by diverting to STPs or through in-situ drain treatment. The treated water will be used for rejuvenating lakes and water bodies, groundwater recharge and the rest will be discharged into the Yamuna.
“Wastewater can solve water problems of any city when handled properly, and DJB has taken a few initiatives in this direction. Pipelines are being laid to carry treated water to various lakes, water bodies, tanks and green areas of the Narela area for rejuvenation and recharging purposes,” Jain added.
As per DJB, the Ghazipur drain wastewater will be tapped and treated. Recycled water will be diverted to lakes and green areas of East Delhi and excess clean water will be released into the drain for rejuvenation.
This initiative will also eliminate the issue of foul odour and reduce the problem of groundwater contamination, as clean water would dilute the contaminants.