Breathing new life into Yamuna – The New Indian Express

Express News Service

Despite a massive redevelopment work before the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Jamnapaar or Yamuna paar continues to be looked down upon, thanks to the rising content of ammonia in the river and the nauseating stench that emanates from it. Residents of the adjacent areas lament or being tagged as the poor cousins of the more opulent south Delhi.

To change this image, the AAP government has initiated a mega project with an aim to reduce the pollution load in the Yamuna by 90 per cent by March 2023. Delhi Jal Board (DJB) officials recently presented a detailed plan to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and water minister Satyendar Jain in this regard. It has already laid out a comprehensive roadmap for the project.

The Yamuna, which serves for around 70 per cent of Delhis water and is often described as the lifeline for Delhiites, is one of the most polluted rivers in the world, especially around the national capital, due to high density of population and rapid industrialisation.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre seeks to Clean Ganga by 2020 under the project Namami Gange, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government aims to restore the Yamuna to its earlier glory under the new initiative, officials said. Keeping that in mind, the Yamuna Cleaning Action Plan of the Delhi government was drawn up.

Its main components are up-gradation of sewage treatment plants (STP), connecting every household to the sewage system and in-situ treatment of untreated water. These interventions by the government will be on a policy level and technical infrastructure on the ground will be augmented corresponding to these decisions to clean the sacred river.

Sewage connectionAccording to the DJB, one of the major pollutants of the river is household sewage flowing directly into the river. Therefore, the first step of the plan to is to connect every house in unauthorised colonies with the sewerage system so that no untreated water laden with waste enters the river. A major challenge before the government in the entire project is to cover 1,250 unauthorised colonies, out of the total of 1,800, with the citys sewer system as they were haphazardly developed without any government supervision, while human waste is accumulated in septic tanks and stormwater drains.

The human waste flowing into the waters has serious consequences in the terms of hygiene and could potentially lead to a disease outbreak. For this, the government has been trying to encourage the residents living in these colonies, slums and JJ clusters to get sewer connections on their own through various schemes.

There are 550 such colonies where sewage connection is available, but people did not get a connection to the system. Now, the government has decided that every new house constructed will have a sewer connection free of cost. Through these connections, the government would ensure that all the filth generated in the waters can be tracked and the specific intervention required to treat the problem can be done inthe future.

Revamping STPsThe second major step is to set up more STPs and upgrade the existing ones to treat all the sewage generated by the city before it enters the river. The Delhi government has a total of 35 functional treatment plants with which treat almost 520 million gallons of wastewater per day.The plan is to increase the figure exponentially in the next year. Delhi is also taking the help of Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETP) to treat any untreated water flowing in the city outside of this STP network. A way for the technical experts to gauge the quality of water is Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD).

This term is used to differentiate between treated and untreated water as per the existing norms 10 is the standard for clean water. Currently, the Yamuna has an overall BOD of 70, which the government hopes to bring down considerably in the next three years to 10.

Treatment of drain waterIn-situ treatment of water is a key technical intervention being made by the DJB in the drains of filth flowing into the river.For this, a pilot project was started in 2017 and after its success, this is now seen as a low-cost effective measure to clean water. In the first phase, this technology will be implemented in two drains from Haryana.

Through the Badshahpur drain and drain number 6, a total of 450 million gallons per day (MGD) of untreated wastewater enters into the Najafgarh drain and ultimately, into the river. The government plan involves the use of dual technology of Enhanced Aeration of water and natural floating wetlands.

Water is dirty when the level of oxygen goes down, so enhanced aeration will help in re-oxygenating of the drain water while it is flowing. Similarly, the floating treatment wetlands will add healthy microbes to the water before it enters the river. The work is in progress, tenders have been floated to hire a consultant to do the task. This method is effective, says Ankit Srivastava, technical advisor of the DJB.

There are five major outfalls carrying wastewater into the Yamuna Najafgarh, Shahdara, Barapulla, Delhi Gate, Mori Gate drains. The Najafgarh and Shahdara drains, besides Delhis wastewater, receive polluted water from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The Najafgarh drain, which is a river Sahibi originating from Alwar in Rajasthan, is the biggest opening releasing 450 MGD of water into the Yamuna, out of which 50 MGD is untreated and the remaining is partially treated.

The Shahdara drain releases 90 MGD of water, out of which 40 is untreated, while the Barapulla drains entire 40 MGD untreated water is released into the river. Two smaller drains the Mori Gate and the Delhi Gate in Old City area release 10 MGD and 8 MGD respectively into the river. Another drain in Sonia Vihar also releases 5 MGD.

The Yamuna from its origin at Yamunotri to Okhla barrage is called the Upper Yamuna where the Delhi government plans to add treated water from the STPs in the future in the Palla area to increase the flow of treated water in the river downstream. There are tales of Lord Krishnas childhood scattered around the length of the river Yamuna. While we acknowledge its sanctity, we have collectively accepted it in its present polluted form.

The DJB is going to use various innovative approaches to clean the sacred river. For drains, in-situ treatment using natural wetlands and aeration methods will be used. The augmentation of the existing STPs capacity will be done. The DJB has taken it upon itself to clean the river with a strict timeline in mind and within the bodys existing budget by December 31, 2023, says Water Minister Satyendar Jain. Jain, who is also an architect, has also suggested designs in many STPs and the drain system to clean the river, officials say.

It was a conscious decision on the part of Kejriwal, to allot all the relevant departments water, flood and irrigation and urban development to Jain so that the work does not get delayed in the usual tussle between the departments. In addition to the Yamuna cleaning, the government also has planned out the ways to recharge the soon depleting groundwater table of the city that would help the government provide the 24x7 water supply, as promised by Kejriwal in the AAPs last election manifesto.

The plan is to use treated 436 MGD of water from STPs in water bodies, lakes, irrigation, gardening, forests and other horticulture purposes.Currently, STPs treat around 525 MGD of water out of which, only 90 MGD is used and the rest goes back into the river. Using innovative modern technology, the government also is cleaning large and small lakes in the capital and filling them up with treated water from STPs. According to the officials, the government has also talked to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and has been permitted to clean large lakes.

However, according to Manoj Mishra the convenor of a group of environmental activists called Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan until the Delhi government finds a solution for the flow of the river, nothing will revive. The right roadmap for the revival of Yamuna was laid down by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2015. The Delhi government had that plan too.

What has it been doing for the last five years? Why is it still talking about three more years? The current reality is that the Yamuna in Delhi does not flow. What is the governments plan to change that? Because all other revival plans will fail if the current condition is not changed. These plans sound more like election propaganda for the next few years, says Mishra. Currently, a total of 874 tons of pollutants per day flow directly into the Yamuna in Delhi.

Govt looks to reduce pollution load up to 90% by March 2023On November 18, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the DJB will reduce the pollution load being discharged into the Yamuna river by 90 per cent by March 2023. Major steps to execute this plan include treating around 150 MGD of polluted water coming from Haryana and UP using natural wetlands, aeration methods and will increase the treatment of water to 400 MGD. There arefive major outfalls carrying wastewater into the Yamuna, including Najafgarh drain, Shahdara drain, Barapullahdrain, Delhi Gate drain andMori Gate drain

Agencies asked to ensure sewagetreatmentThe CPCB on Sunday expressed concern over the growing pollution and frothing in Yamuna and asked the agencies concerned in Delhi, Haryana and UP to ensure no sewage is discharged into the river. The apex pollution watchdog directed agencies concerned to submit action taken report by December 15. In a statement, the CPCB said the quality of the river was becoming toxic with high ammonia levels due to discharge of untreated waste in it and directed the DJB to take time bound action and ensure no sewage is discharged into the river

Phase 1By December 2021, pollution load will be 709 temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). The current TPD is 874

Phase 2By March 2022, pollution load in the Yamuna will be 128 TPD

Phase 3By December 2023, pollution load in the Yamuna will be reduced to 54 TPD

Aiming to revive citys lifeline, DJB will upgrade sewage treatment plants, connect households in unauthorised colonies to sewage system and conduct in-situ treatment of untreated water, reports Siddhanta Mishra

Continued here:
Breathing new life into Yamuna - The New Indian Express