New Delhi: As part of a major push to clean the Yamuna, Delhi govt has awarded work for 12 new decentralised sewage treatment plants (DSTPs) in the Najafgarh area at an estimated cost of around Rs 860 crore. The projects aim to curb pollution flowing into the river through the Najafgarh drain, the capital’s largest conduit of untreated sewage.Water minister Parvesh Verma said many colonies and villages in Najafgarh continue to discharge untreated sewage directly into the drain, adding significantly to the Yamuna’s pollution burden.“This has remained a key environmental challenge for years. The govt is now moving towards a permanent solution. Work orders have been issued for installing DSTPs at 12 locations, including Kair, Kakrola, Galibpur, Jaffarpur and Kazipur-Shikarpur. These plants will ensure sewage is treated locally before it enters the drain network,” Verma said.The projects have a combined treatment capacity of 46.5 million gallons per day (MGD) and are expected to benefit over seven lakh residents across villages and unauthorised colonies in outer Delhi. Funding is being provided under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme, which supports urban sewerage, drainage and water supply infrastructure.The largest package includes a 17 MGD DSTP at Mitraon, which will serve 81 unauthorised colonies and three villages with an estimated population of 3.66 lakh. Four additional DSTPs at Kair, Kanganheri, Kakrola and Dichaon Kalan will cater to around 2.2 lakh residents, while smaller plants at Galibpur, Sarangpur, Shikarpur, Hasnapur, Jaffarpur, Kazipur and Khera Dabar will serve rural pockets of southwest Delhi.Officials said the Rs 860 crore outlay covers both construction and 15 years of operation and maintenance, with executing agencies responsible for long-term upkeep and performance of the facilities.The move is part of BJP govt’s broader Yamuna-cleaning push, which has emerged as a priority under chief minister Rekha Gupta. The govt has repeatedly stressed that reducing the discharge of untreated sewage into major drains is central to rejuvenating the river.Among Delhi’s drains, the Najafgarh drain is considered the most critical as it carries wastewater from large parts of west and southwest Delhi into the Yamuna. Environmental agencies have long identified it as one of the biggest contributors to river pollution in the capital.Decentralised sewage treatment is being prioritised in outer Delhi because many villages and unauthorised colonies remain outside the conventional sewer network. DSTPs allow sewage to be treated closer to its source, reducing direct discharge into drains and easing pressure on larger sewer infrastructure, an official said.Alongside the DSTP projects, the govt has approved the upgradation of the Keshopur sewage treatment plant from 12 MGD to 18 MGD at a cost of Rs 122 crore, rehabilitation of a 40-year-old trunk sewer line in Trilokpuri for about Rs 57 crore, and construction of a new underground reservoir and booster pumping station at Rohtas Nagar in Shahdara.Delhi Jal Board will also take up construction and restoration of rainwater harvesting structures across departments, while groundwater experts and social mobilisers will be hired to strengthen water conservation efforts.
