Cleaning Yamuna to cost extra Rs 4,000 crore: Delhi govt

Secondary sewage line required while implementation of primary network may take 2 decades

Cleaning the Yamuna river will require an additional Rs 4,000 crore over three years, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has said in a detailed action plan to the National Green Tribunal this week and approved by the Union environment ministry.

DDA said the sewage master plan of 2013 had been “suitably modified” to ensure the sewage is intercepted before it flows into the river Yamuna. This will require laying out a secondary sewage line while the implementation of the primary sewage network may take up to two decades, according to the Delhi Jal Board. This "prioritized work" it has identified is aimed to cut off sewage flow into storm water drains (which are meant to only carry excess rain water and not sewage). This plan will take up to three years and will cost the government Rs 4,000 crore.

"The anticipated broad cost for execution of works prioritized have been estimated as Rs 4,000 crore considering an escalation factor of 8.5 per cent for three years," said a report submitted by a committee setup on orders of the NGT to prepare plan of action to prevent sewage to enter into river Yamuna. This cost excludes the cost of sewage works already under implementation by DJB.

It said that majority of storm drains in the sewered areas of Delhi are carrying sewage which is "unacceptable" and priority will be given to maintain and preserve them.

"An elaborate exercise has been done to formulate a plan with an objective that no sewage from any of the unauthorized colonies should enter the natural storm drains even without having the primary sewage network implemented," stated the report.

The committee also noted that taking sewage away to a downstream location outside wouldn't work and decentralized sewage treatment plants would be useful in rejuvenating river Yamuna.

The key activities, DDA noted, "includes superimposition of all the 201 natural drains in Delhi, revival of natural drains, identification of proposed sewage infrastructure", among other measures.