DJB draws up innovative plan to curb pollution in Yamuna river

New Delhi, Jan 3: The Delhi Jal Board today unveiled an innovative plan to clean the Yamuna, envisaging reduction of pollution levels in its 22 km stretch from Wazirabad to Okhla, which accounts for a major proportion of the pollution load from various drains emptying in the river.

The plan, which has received basic approval from the Union Planning Commission, is based on the concept of interceptor sewers where the sewage emanating from smaller drains into three major drains in Nazafgarh, supplementary and Shahdara will be intercepted before it enters the bigger drains.

''From these interceptor sewers, the sewage will be conveyed to the nearest sewage treatment plants where they will be treated before flowing into the big drains,''DJB CEO Arun Mathur told reporters here while unveiling the plan.

Mr Mathur said the plan drawn up by the Delhi Jal Board also envisaged trapping of sewage from the remaining 13 drains, flowing into the Yamuna, in the Bela road and Ring road sewers from where they would be directed to the sewage treatment plants there, work on which is expected to be completed by December 2008.

Besides, the proposal also provides for augmenting the two already existing STPs at Delhi gate and Dr Sen Nursing home drain to the desired level to equip them to treat sewage flowing from the two drains.

Mr Mathur said untreated waste water from approximately 1500 unauthorised colonies and 1080 slum and JJ clusters in Delhi accounted for a large part of pollution load entering through the small drains into the big drains and finally the river Yamuna.

''No meaningful result can be acheived in reducing pollution in the 22 km stretch of the Yamuna from Wazirabad to the Okhla Barrage unless action is initiated to put appropriate sewerage system in all unsewered areas, particularly the unauthorised colonies,''Mr mathur said.

He said the attempt was to evolve a complete solution to the pollution of the river Yamuna.

''The advantage of the solution drawn up by the DJB is that treated effluent of the plants will not be retreated. Also, since drains are being trapped in the interceptor sewers it will take care of all unsewered areas as well as over flows from the existing system,''Mr Mathur said. He said the plan would also enable optimum utilisation of the capacity of the present sewage treatment plants, which at present were not treating sewage as per their existing capacity.

A total investment of about Rs 3000 crore was estimated on the proposal, over a period of five to six years, which was expected to bring about a nearly 80 per cent reduction in pollution levels in the Yamuna.

''If the support of all stakeholders, namely the MCD, the Irrigation depaertment and others, is forthcoming then we are hopeful of reducing pollution levels by as much as 80 per cent by 2010,''he said Mr Mathur said the DJB had made a presentation of the proposal before various authoritues like the Planning commission, the Ministry of Water resources and the Delhi Chief Minister.

''The Planning commission has given its in principle approval to the project and has asked to draw up a detailed action plan in this regard. It has also promised some financial support fro the project,''Mr Mathur said, adding the Delhi Government has also promised to pitch in with support.

UNI