New Delhi: In an effort to revitalise the Yamuna river, the Delhi government on Tuesday set aside 500 crore to construct treatment plants and other infrastructure to clean the river, which is on the edge of dying.
In a bid to ensure that the untreated water does not flow into the river, the government will build 40 decentralised sewage treatment plants (STPs).
These plants will treat wastewater at the source before it enters major drains, reducing pollution levels in the river.
Under the budget allocation, the government also allocated Rs 250 crore for replacing old sewer lines.
Presenting the Budget, CM Rekha Gupta said “The Yamuna is not just a river; it is our cultural and historical heritage. Cleaning Yamuna is an important part of our manifesto and remains a top priority in this budget”.
The Yamuna River water pollution was a major issue in the recently concluded Delhi Assembly Election. In the past, the government has spent thousands of crores to clean the river.
Long ago, the waters of Yamuna were pristine blue but today the Yamuna is considered to be one of the severely polluted rivers in the world.
The Yamuna is particularly polluted when it enters Delhi from Haryana, which dumps about 58% of its waste into the river.
According to data more than 800 million litres of largely untreated sewage is pumped in the Yamuna each day. Another 44 million litres of industrial effluents are also discharged daily into the river.
Sewage that is treated before being released into the river accounts for only 35% of the total estimated sewage discharge.
Yamuna river is a major source of water supply to Delhi, with nearly 57 million people depending on the Yamuna’s waters.
With an annual flow of about 10,000 cubic billion metres, the river accounts for more than 70% of Delhi’s water supply.
