New Delhi: In a major step toward cleaning the Yamuna River, the Delhi government has awarded contracts for the construction of 12 new decentralised sewage treatment plants (DSTPs) in the Najafgarh region at an estimated cost of around ₹860 crore. The initiative aims to significantly reduce untreated sewage entering the Yamuna through the Najafgarh drain — one of the city’s largest and most polluted wastewater channels.
According to officials, the projects will focus on treating sewage locally before it reaches the drain network. The new DSTPs will be developed across multiple locations including Kair, Kakrola, Galibpur, Jaffarpur, and Kazipur-Shikarpur, among others.
Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma stated that several villages and unauthorised colonies in the Najafgarh belt currently discharge untreated wastewater directly into the drain, contributing heavily to the Yamuna’s pollution burden. He said the decentralised treatment model is intended to tackle the issue at the source and improve wastewater management in outer Delhi areas that are still outside the conventional sewer network.
The combined treatment capacity of the proposed plants is expected to reach 46.5 million gallons per day (MGD), benefiting more than seven lakh residents across villages and unauthorised colonies in outer Delhi. The projects are being funded under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme.
The largest component of the project includes a 17 MGD DSTP at Mitraon, which is expected to serve around 81 unauthorised colonies and three villages with an estimated population of 3.66 lakh people. Additional treatment plants at Kair, Kanganheri, Kakrola, and Dichaon Kalan will cater to nearly 2.2 lakh residents, while smaller facilities in Galibpur, Sarangpur, Shikarpur, Hasanpur, Jaffarpur, Kazipur, and Khera Dabar will serve rural pockets of southwest Delhi.
Officials stated that the ₹860 crore allocation covers both construction and 15 years of operation and maintenance. Agencies responsible for the projects will also oversee the long-term performance and upkeep of the treatment infrastructure.
The move forms part of Delhi government’s broader Yamuna rejuvenation strategy, which prioritises reducing untreated sewage discharge into major drains. The Najafgarh drain is considered a critical pollution source as it carries wastewater from large parts of west and southwest Delhi directly into the Yamuna.
In addition to the DSTP projects, the government has also approved the upgradation of the Keshopur sewage treatment plant from 12 MGD to 18 MGD at a cost of ₹122 crore. Other approved works include rehabilitation of an ageing trunk sewer line in Trilokpuri and construction of a new underground reservoir and booster pumping station in Shahdara.
Source: Times of India
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