New Delhi, Apr 23 (PTI) In a step towards cleaning the Yamuna river, Water Minister Parvesh Verma has directed the Delhi Jal Board to carry out a third-party audit of all its existing 37 sewage treatment plants (STPs).

The directive came during a recent meeting with the sewage management wing of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), where the minister was apprised of the capacity of existing STPs and the efforts being made to increase water treatment through rehabilitation and upgradation works. “We have directed the DJB to carry out a third-party audit of all STPs to get more clarity on the installed treatment capacity and the actual treatment being carried out,” Verma said.

Of the 37 STPs, 18 are under upgrade projects to increase the capacity. Additionally, the Delhi government is constructing two new STPs, one in Sonia Vihar and the other at Delhi Gate, which are likely to increase the overall treatment capacity by approximately 47 million gallons per day (MGD).

“A substantial amount of untreated sewage is flowing into the Yamuna right now. The Delhi government aims to reduce this, for which several steps are being taken. One such is the audit. Based on the audit reports, further directions will be given to enhance the sewerage treatment infrastructure,” the water minister added.

In the allocations made in the Delhi budget for treating sewage flowing into the Yamuna, Rs 500 crore has been earmarked for STP repairs and Rs 250 crore to replace ageing sewer lines. PTI SSM SSM NSD NSD