The Delhi Jal Board successfully diverted 114 million gallon/day sewage to treatment plants through pumping stations before being discharged into three drains last year, thereby reducing the BOD load in the Yamuna river, officials said Wednesday.
According to a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) official, it was found that the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) load, the level of organic pollution, on the Yamuna river declined by 56 tonnes per day in 2018 compared to 2017.
In 2017, the average BOD load was 279 tonnes per day, a study by the CPCB found.
The CPCB has also submitted an interim report on the decreased BOD load to the Yamuna Pollution Monitoring Committee that was constituted by the National Green Tribunal in 2018.
The official said they are still working to ascertain the reasons behind the decrease which augurs well for aquatic life but said that the Delhi Jal Board's (DJB) interceptor sewage project which aims at improving the quality of water flowing into the Yamuna by ensuring only treated sewage is discharged into the three major drains -- Najafgarh, Supplementary and Shahdara, which empty into the Yamuna.
The CPCB official said the DJB informed them that they have ensured that 114 million gallon/day of untreated sewage has been diverted through pumping stations to sewage treatment plants, thereby ensuring that treated sewage is discharged into the drains.
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