Govt invites pvt sector to financially support Yamuna cleaning efforts

New Delhi: The Delhi government is planning to collect funds through the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative to support its mission to rejuvenate the

deteriorated ecological health of the Yamuna River, officials said on Friday.

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has invited private companies to sponsor the modular sewage treatment plants (STPs) to be installed along the major open drains having an outfall into the river According to the officials, instead of traditional STPs, which require large space and investment, modular and decentralised STPs will be installed on the drains, in which the companies can invest and get a chance at branding.

“The DJB seeks commitment from the corporate entities to partner in the installation of such STPs over the identified open drains as per need.

“The corporate entities would commit to contributing a particular amount for such installations. They will make the payments directly to the supplier after the installation of the plants,” the rules drafted by the DJB said.

Currently, the DJB has 37 STPs, which are largely operated and maintained by private companies, whom the government pays as per the contract. Under the new scheme, the companies will choose a vendor to install a plant and directly pay them.

“Modular STPs are smaller in size and can be arranged in parts along a drain outfall or the length of the drain that is polluting the river. As part of the government’s mission to restore Yamuna, a key priority is the effective and accelerated treatment of sewage and wastewater flowing into the river through open drains,” a DJB official said.

For the past few years, the DJB has been working on the Interceptor Sewer Project, which entails trapping all the drains and diverting the wastewater flowing into them to the nearby STP. However, there are some drains where trapping is not possible, such as the Najafgarh drain; here, the government is carrying out desilting work, but treatment of waste in the drains will be done for a long-term solution.

Several sub-drains are carrying untreated wastewater, adding to the large drains, and work is ongoing to clean these, the officials said.