The Yamuna, which is more than 1,300 km long, is one of the most polluted rivers in the country and also supplies water to more than half of the national capital.
A senior official said that till December-end no dirty water will flow into the Yamuna as all drains carrying sewage into the river will be tapped.
over 1,300 km long Yamuna is one of the most polluted rivers It also provides water to more than half of the country and the national capital. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) Director General G. Ashok Kumar said there are 18 drains that carry dirty water into the Yamuna, and there are plans to tap these drains and convert the dirty water into sewage treatment plants (STPs).
“Now that the sewage treatment plants are set up, we can divert the sewage flowing into the river to these plants. The treated water we get from the STP can then be added to the river so that the river flow is even. May it be possible. There has been improvement. So till December there will be no dirty water in Yamuna river and its flow will also see improvement. PTI.
“We will try to ensure that the Yamuna has bathing water by then,” he said.
Mr Kumar said that once the dirty water stops flowing into the river, the next step would be to set a minimum flow of water into the Yamuna for uninterrupted flow, thereby ensuring its cleanliness.
Only 2% of the Yamuna or 22 km falls in Delhi, but 98% of the pollution in the Yamuna comes from the national capital due to untreated or semi-treated industrial effluents or sewage being discharged into the river in a stretch of 22 km.
According to estimates made by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi generates 3,800 million liters of sewage per day. The official said the NMCG is also probing non-point sources of pollution in the Yamuna.
“We are also trying to find out about non-point sources such as the river causing froth as well. We are also trying to look at the dhobi ghats, through which a lot of soap is coming into the water. What we are trying to address are those non-point sources also and see that they do not pollute the river,” he said.
Mr. Kumar said that NMCG is launching NGYodha (Namami Gange Yamuna of Delhi region) which will focus on cleaning the Yamuna.