In a push toward rejuvenating the heavily polluted Yamuna River, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has received a financial boost of over Rs 3,000 crore to construct 27 Decentralised Sewage Treatment Plants (DSTPs) across the national capital. The long-awaited fund approval marks a major step forward in addressing one of Delhi’s most pressing environmental challenges.
The fund allocation, cleared by the Expenditure and Finance Committee headed by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, comes as a lifeline for the DJB, which has been reeling under a prolonged financial crunch. According to officials, the inflow of funds has already enabled groundwork to begin at several proposed sites.
The DJB had initially launched its DSTP initiative in 2023, envisioning the construction of 40 compact sewage treatment facilities that would serve localised pockets of the city. However, progress was stalled due to a lack of financial support.
Now, with the fresh funding in place, the DJB is pushing ahead with 27 of these units, with construction activities picking up pace across areas where large-scale infrastructure cannot be established easily.
“These DSTPs are critical because they allow treatment of wastewater right at the source, such as in JJ clusters and unauthorised colonies. Unlike centralised sewage plants that require vast land and extensive pipelines, DSTPs are compact, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable,” a senior DJB official told PTI.
Key locations identified for the new DSTPs include Rangpuri, Dera Mandi, Fatehpur Beri, Jafarpur, Shikarpur, Jaunti, and Ghewra. These areas, often left out of the city’s formal sewerage network, are now expected to benefit from improved waste management and reduced discharge into stormwater drains that lead directly to the Yamuna.
In addition to the DSTPs, the government has also greenlit the construction of a major 10 million gallons per day (MGD) sewage treatment plant at Delhi Gate. This facility is expected to play a crucial role in curbing untreated sewage from the Walled City and surrounding neighborhoods, which currently flows directly into the Yamuna near the Rajghat power plant.
“The Delhi Gate plant is vital for intercepting and treating sewage from one of the oldest and most densely populated parts of the city,” another DJB official stated.
Although construction at Delhi Gate is yet to commence, the project has been described as a “cornerstone intervention” in the broader Yamuna cleaning mission.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has reiterated her government’s commitment to restoring the Yamuna, listing it among the administration’s top priorities. Last year, Gupta had allocated Rs 500 crore specifically for setting up 40 DSTPs and launching other initiatives such as procurement of mechanical weed harvesters to tackle rampant wild growth in the river.
At present, Delhi generates nearly 792 MGD of sewage, but only around 610 MGD is treated. The remaining untreated waste—primarily from unauthorised colonies and under-serviced zones—continues to flow into the Yamuna via open drains. The decentralised treatment plants are expected to bridge this critical shortfall.
Environmentalists and urban planners have welcomed the renewed effort to decentralise sewage treatment as a pragmatic and scalable approach. Unlike large centralised systems that face land and cost constraints, DSTPs can be quickly deployed and maintained at the community level.
With the Rs 3,000 crore push now in motion, and fresh plants already under construction, there is cautious optimism that the Yamuna—one of India’s most polluted rivers—may finally see cleaner days ahead.
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