DJB to improve water distribution, sewerage management

Delhi Jal Board has set up multiple 'focus groups' to streamline water distribution and sewerage management in the national capital.
The focus groups will deliberate on various issues in depth and identify gaps and propose practical and innovative solutions.
The focus group on sewerage management has been tasked to provide consumers "universal access" to sewerage facility, and other services related to collection of entire sewage as well as its treatment.
It will evolve mechanism and suggest measures for disposing off effluent in an efficient manner without affecting the environment.
Officials said DJB has decided to commission five more Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). Currently DJB has 36 STPs.

The new STPs will come up at Yamuna Vihar, Pappan Kalan Phase, Nilothi, Delhi Gate and Chilla by end of this year, they said.

Currently, DJB has an installed capacity treating around 600 million gallon of sewage per day.
In the future, DJB also plans to undertake initiatives to prevent flow of polluted water into the Yamuna river. It also plans to prevent flow of sewage into storm-water drains by diverting it to the regular sewerage network.
The DJB has also decided to install flow-meters at "strategic locations" to measure the flow of water being pumped from the Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) and to compare withdrawal of water at various points so as to gauge the exact amount of leakage.

All the Chief Engineers in charge of maintenance have been told to undertake water auditing as part of efforts to stop the leakages.
All the Chief Engineers have been told to draft plans of action in order to ensure better rationalisation of water supply within their jurisdiction.
At a meeting of focus group on infrastructure issues, it was decided that the creation of all new infrastructure will be taken up in a planned manner.