New Delhi: In a significant step towards restoring the health of the Yamuna River, the Delhi government has approved a comprehensive ₹4,500 crore sewerage and wastewater management package aimed at preventing untreated sewage from flowing into the river. The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has sanctioned a series of major infrastructure projects, including the construction of 15 new decentralised sewage treatment plants (DSTPs), expansion of the sewer network, and upgrades to existing treatment facilities.
The ambitious initiative is intended to address one of the biggest contributors to pollution in the Yamuna, untreated domestic wastewater. According to the Delhi government, the projects are expected to benefit nearly 20 lakh residents and are scheduled for completion within the next 21 months.
Announcing the development, Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said the approved projects represent a major investment in improving the Capital’s sewage treatment capabilities and ensuring cleaner water bodies. He noted that the new infrastructure would primarily serve areas where sewer connectivity remains inadequate, allowing wastewater to be intercepted and treated before it reaches the Yamuna through the city’s drainage system.
As part of the plan, the DJB has awarded contracts for 15 decentralised sewage treatment plants with a combined treatment capacity of 103.5 MGD, involving an investment of nearly ₹2,000 crore. These projects come in addition to 13 decentralised plants that had already been approved earlier.
Once operational, the combined decentralised treatment facilities will add 227 MGD of sewage treatment capacity, increasing Delhi’s total capacity from the current 814 MGD to 1,041 MGD. This would surpass the city’s present daily sewage generation of approximately 1,000 MGD, creating additional capacity to accommodate future population growth and urban expansion.
Unlike conventional centralised sewage treatment plants, decentralised facilities are located closer to residential areas where wastewater is generated. This significantly reduces the distance sewage must travel through large trunk sewer networks, lowers pumping requirements, and enables wastewater from unsewered colonies and rapidly developing neighbourhoods to be treated before entering nearby drains.
Officials believe this decentralised approach will be particularly effective in reducing pollution flowing into the Yamuna, especially through major drains such as Najafgarh and Shahdara drains, which together account for nearly 80 per cent of the pollution load entering the river in Delhi. The Capital currently has 22 drains discharging wastewater into the Yamuna, making effective interception and treatment of sewage a key priority for river rejuvenation.
In addition to constructing new treatment plants, the Delhi Jal Board has approved the laying of approximately 989 kilometres of new sewer pipelines and the provision of household sewer connections across 244 colonies and 57 villages. These measures are expected to significantly improve sewer connectivity in areas that currently rely on inadequate or non-existent sewage infrastructure.
The package also includes the construction of a new 35 MGD sewage treatment plant, modernisation of existing treatment facilities, installation of sludge management systems at 10 operational sewage treatment plants, and in-situ treatment of the Delhi Gate drain. These projects aim to enhance overall wastewater management while reducing untreated discharge into the Yamuna.
Despite gradual improvements in sewage treatment efficiency over recent years, environmental data indicates that considerable challenges remain. According to records from the Environment Department, Delhi’s utilisation of its installed sewage treatment capacity increased from 74.2 per cent in 2022 to 79.16 per cent in 2024, reaching 80.9 per cent in 2025. However, officials estimate that the city still faces a daily untreated sewage deficit of around 174 MGD.
Senior DJB officials stated that expanding treatment capacity has long been considered essential to meet the demands of Delhi’s growing population, rapid urbanisation, and redevelopment of residential and commercial areas.
With the implementation of these projects, the Delhi government hopes to substantially reduce untreated sewage entering the Yamuna, improve environmental sustainability, strengthen urban sanitation infrastructure, and move closer to its long-term objective of restoring one of the country’s most important rivers.
