Express View on Yamuna status report: River abandoned

In January, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) constituted a panel headed by Delhi’s lieutenant

governor to find ways to rejuvenate the Yamuna in the capital. Six months later, a status report

submitted by the Delhi government shows that there’s scarcely any reduction in the river’s

pollution levels. It lists a litany of problems that have been known for long: The city’s sewage

treatment plants do not operate to their full capacity and untreated or partially treated sewage

flows into the river. A large number of localities, inhabited by the poor, are not covered by the

network of pipes that take sewage to treatment plants. As a result, the water of the river in most

of its stretch in the capital is not fit for bathing quality. The six-month deadline set by the NGT to

resolve these problems was perhaps unrealistic. But in the past two decades, goalposts on

Yamuna cleaning have been shifted several times. The Delhi government must get its act

together.

The status report points to an “extension of the sewerage network to a few more unauthorised

colonies and JJ clusters”. However, the fact that 245 million gallons of sewage is left untreated

every day shows that this extension has not made much difference to the Yamuna’s pollution

levels — by all accounts, about 250 MGD was dumped in the river before the NGT’s intervention.

An interceptor drain project initiated more than 15 years ago has missed several deadlines. The

idea behind the project was that, instead of laying a massive network of new lines, interceptor

sewers would be laid to trap the sewage from Delhi’s three large drains that carry most of the

city’s filth and dump it into the Yamuna. However, since the project was conceived, the number

of colonies outside the city’s sewerage network has increased. It seems that the interceptor drain

project did not plan for the impact Delhi’s growing population would have on the capital’s waste

disposal system. The trouble also is that the different authorities in the city — the DDA, the

municipal corporation, and the pollution control agencies — rarely work in sync. And, the Yamuna

cleaning work is among the several casualties of the constant confrontation between the Delhi

government and the city’s LG.

The Delhi stretch is only 2 per cent of the river’s length. But more than 70 per cent of the

Yamuna’s pollution burden originates in the capital. Restoring the river in Delhi is, therefore,

critical for its health. The NGT has asked the Delhi government to submit another report by

September. The solutions have been known for long now. It’s high time they are implemented.

Summary of the Editorial

1. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) established a panel in January to devise ways to

rejuvenate the Yamuna river in Delhi.

2. Six months later, a status report by the Delhi government indicates minimal reduction in

pollution levels in the river.

3. The report cites issues such as under-utilized sewage treatment plants and untreated or

partially treated sewage flowing into the river.

4. Many low-income neighborhoods lack access to sewage treatment plant networks,

contributing to the pollution.

5. The NGT's six-month deadline to solve these problems may have been too ambitious, given

the complexity and longstanding nature of the issues.

6. The Delhi government needs to take more effective action, as the Yamuna cleaning targets

have been moved several times over the past two decades.

7. Despite the extension of the sewage network to some unauthorized colonies and slums,

around 245 million gallons of sewage remain untreated daily.

8. A project to build an interceptor drain, started over 15 years ago, has continually missed

deadlines.

9. This project aimed to trap sewage from Delhi's three largest drains, preventing it from

reaching the Yamuna, but has failed to account for population growth and increased

waste.

10. Coordination issues between various authorities, such as the DDA, municipal corporation,

and pollution control agencies, have also hampered efforts.

11. More than 70% of the Yamuna's pollution comes from Delhi, despite the city accounting

for only 2% of the river's length.

12. Restoring the river's health in Delhi is, therefore, critical for the overall health of the

Yamuna.

13. The NGT has asked the Delhi government to submit another report by September.

14. The solutions to these issues have been known for a long time, emphasizing the need for

urgent action.

15. It's crucial that these known solutions are implemented promptly and effectively to

improve the river's health.