'Will treat 155 MGD of wastewater coming from neighbouring states into Yamuna'

New Delhi: Delhi Water and Industries Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday said the city government will treat 155 MGD (million gallons per day) of wastewater coming from the neighbouring states into the Yamuna, according to a government statement.

At a meeting with senior Delhi Jal Board officials (DJB) and Irrigation and Flood Control Department (I&FC) about the inter-state pollution in the Yamuna, Jain said cleaning the river was the topmost priority of the Arvind Kejriwal government.

According to the statement, Yamuna receives 105 MGD and 50 MGD wastewater from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh respectively.

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. On instructions of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, DJB and I&FC have undertaken the task of cleaning the Yamuna on topmost priority, Jain said.

The drains coming from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh will be treated either by diverting to STPs (sewage treatment plants) or through in-situ drain treatment. This treated water will be used for rejuvenating lakes and water bodies, groundwater recharge and the rest will be discharged into the Yamuna river, Jain added.

He said the Delhi government had taken upon itself to clean all the sources that pollute the river .

The Yamuna is a holy river. It's a river that we all pray to and seek blessings. The states which are polluting the river should also take steps to clean it. But we are taking additional responsibility upon ourselves because it is our commitment to the citizens of Delhi that we would clean it within three years, Jain said.

According to the minister, waste water is a resource that can solve water woes of any city if handled properly.

The government will work continuously to achieve it, even if we have to clean the discharge of other states. These drains will be cleaned after they reach Delhi and will be used for recharging groundwater, Jain said.

Delhi government has started working on war-footing to clean all of these drains. Innovative techniques are being used for this purpose. In-situ techniques as well existing STPs will be used to treat these drains where wastewater from states will join the drains in Delhi, Jain said.