The directive by Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena
to expedite the Yamuna cleaning project is a long-overdue intervention. The
river, once a lifeline for Delhi, has now become an open sewer, carrying the
burden of untreated sewage, industrial effluents, and domestic waste. While
Delhi accounts for only 22 km of the 1,400-km-long Yamuna, it contributes a
staggering 75% of its pollution load. At several points, pollutant
concentration is 700 times higher than the permissible levels, making the river
unfit for even bathing. The new initiative to rejuvenate Yamuna is, therefore,
an urgent necessity—but is it destined to meet the same fate as its
predecessors?
The proposed four-pronged strategy appears comprehensive:
removal of trash and silt, cleaning of major drains, monitoring and upgrading
sewage treatment plants (STPs), and constructing new STPs to treat the 400 MGD
sewage shortfall. These are essential measures, but similar blueprints have
been drawn and abandoned in the past. The fundamental issue has never been a
lack of plans, but rather, a chronic failure in implementation. Political
infighting, bureaucratic inertia, and a lack of inter-state cooperation have
repeatedly derailed previous clean-up efforts.
One of the biggest roadblocks is Delhi’s inadequate
sewage infrastructure. While the city generates 790 MGD of sewage, its STPs—at
least on paper—have a capacity to treat 700 MGD. However, a Delhi Pollution
Control Board report last year revealed that 21 out of 37 STPs do not meet basic
standards. More alarmingly, over 70% of these plants lack bacterial
disinfection facilities despite repeated National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders.
The previous interceptor drain project, launched in 2006 with a budget of Rs
2,400 crore, failed due to missing links between sewer lines and
underperforming STPs. Without a holistic approach that integrates
infrastructure overhaul with strict enforcement, the new initiative risks
becoming another expensive failure.
Additionally, Yamuna’s health is not just Delhi’s
problem. The river’s fate is intertwined with its upstream and downstream
neighbours. The upcoming renegotiation of the 30-year water-sharing agreement
among Yamuna basin states is an opportunity to address long-standing disputes,
particularly the Delhi-Haryana standoff over water sharing. Without
collaboration between states, any clean-up effort will be akin to treating a
poisoned patient without stopping the source of contamination.
A truly effective Yamuna rejuvenation requires more than
just desilting and new STPs; it demands political will, stringent regulation,
and coordinated action across state lines. If history is any indication, Delhi
cannot afford another decade of missed deadlines and wasted funds. The question
remains: Will this initiative be a turning point or just another chapter in the
river’s slow death?
