The minister, who carried out an inspection of the river on Sunday morning and followed up with a meeting with the chief ministers of Delhi and Haryana, said the interceptor sewage system project that was being implemented by Delhi Jal Board would take some time to come up and that in the meantime there were no other ways to stop the flow of untreated sewage into the river.
"By 2015-end I can say with confidence that no untreated sewage will flow into the river. Of Yamuna's 1,375km, Delhi's stretch of 22km is the most polluted. The city's problem has been the massive unauthorized growth, because of which about 65% of the city area is not covered by sewer system. The interceptor sewage system is only an interim measure, and it is the only option we had. What is most important is that DJB sewers all areas," said Ramesh.
Delhi's sewage generation is about 3,200 million liters per day. Its treatment capacity is 2,300mld, and 1,500mld reaches the treatment plants. Of this, the actual treatment is far less. The trunk sewers are settled and a massive process to repair them is on. By August this year, 150km of trunk sewers will be rehabilitated. Read the full report here.
Source: Neha Lalchandani, TNN, New Delhi.
