New Delhi: Union Home Minister and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting in the national capital to address three critical issues facing Delhi — Yamuna River pollution, drinking water supply, and the city’s sewage infrastructure.
The meeting was attended by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and senior officials from central ministries and the Delhi government. Addressing the gathering, Shah emphasised that the Yamuna is not merely a river, but also a cultural and spiritual symbol of faith. Reiterating the Modi government’s commitment to rejuvenating the river, he directed all concerned ministries and departments to adopt a holistic and coordinated approach for its cleanup, ensuring safe drinking water and modernising the drainage and sewage network in the capital.
He instructed the Ministry of Jal Shakti to prepare a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for every sewage treatment plant (STP), outlining clear standards for operation, discharge quality, and maintenance. This SOP, Shah said, should be shared with other states as well to ensure uniform best practices nationwide. The home minister called for a comprehensive 20-year vision plan to sustainably address Delhi’s needs related to river rejuvenation, water supply and sewage treatment. He also stressed the need to immediately strengthen the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), including filling all vacant posts, to improve execution on the ground. Highlighting the importance of efficient water distribution, Shah directed the DJB to take concrete steps to modernise the city’s pipeline infrastructure and reduce leakages. He further advocated the use of world-class desilting technologies to overhaul Delhi’s drainage systems and prevent blockages. The meeting reflects a renewed focus by the Centre on inter-agency collaboration to tackle longstanding civic challenges in Delhi, especially those relating to environmental and public health.
Shah highlighted the crucial role of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in cleaning the Yamuna and emphasised the need to strengthen it, directing immediate filling of vacant posts.
The home minister underscored the need to enhance Delhi’s water distribution efficiency, stating that effective water management is essential to ensure drinking water supply across the city. Shah also emphasised the use of world-class technology for desilting drains. In March, CM Rekha Gupta announced a Rs 1,500-crore plan to clean the Yamuna and upgrade Delhi’s sewage system, including 40 decentralised STPs, modernising existing plants, and deploying advanced machinery to prevent untreated sewage from entering the river. With agency inputs