Cleaning Yamuna top priority, says CM Kejriwal

New Delhi: The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) on Monday said it will increase its wastewater treatment capacity by 57 per cent (326 million gallons a day) by June 2023.

Delhi generates around 744 million gallons of sewage a day. The DJB supplies 930 MGD of water to the city. The 35 sewage treatment plants operational at 20 locations across Delhi can treat up to 577 MGD of sewage and have been utilising around 90 per cent (514 MGD) of their capacity.

Untapped wastewater from unauthorised colonies and jhuggi-jhopri clusters, and poor quality of treated wastewater discharged from WWTPs are the main reasons behind high levels of pollution in the Yamuna river.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a review meeting with the officials of the Delhi Jal Board on several projects of the Delhi government, including 24-hour tap water supply, cleaning of Yamuna river, sewer lines to all houses in Delhi, and industrial waste treatment.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said his government is working on a 'war footing' to clean the Yamuna river.

To ensure a more efficient Yamuna cleaning process, the water flowing into the river Yamuna will be treated via STP. Only clean water will be directed towards the river Yamuna, and the polluted water will be used for irrigational purposes and groundwater recharge.

DJB officials said the rehabilitation and construction of new STPs will increase the wastewater treatment capacity by 326 MGD by June 2023.

The rehabilitation of the existing STPs in Okhla, Kondli, Rithala, Sonia Vihar and Delhi Gate will increase sewage treatment capacity by 147 MGD by June 2023, DJB data showed.

The upcoming 33 decentralised STPs at various locations in Delhi and 14 STPs in

the Najafgarh drainage zone will be able to treat 92 MGD of wastewater.