In second leg, Yamuna cleaning between ITO, Okhla barrage
Several agencies, including the Delhi Jal Board, DDA, PWD are involved in the operations, which started with an 11km stretch between the Signature Bridge and ITO on February 12
Lieutenant governor VK Saxena on Monday said that ongoing cleaning operations in the Yamuna have led to improvements in the river across various parameters, as he reiterated that the ghats and floodplains located within the city limits will be cleared up by June 30.
Saxena heads a high-level committee formed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by a January 9 order, which has been asked to look into Yamuna’s pollution. The tribunal had asked the LG to fix timelines and take corrective action to ensure the river’s water quality showed an improvement in a time-bound manner.
Several agencies, including the Delhi Jal Board, DDA, PWD, and DUSIB, are involved in the clean up operations in the Yamuna, which started with an 11km stretch between the Signature Bridge and ITO on February 12. On Monday, work started on the second 11km stretch between ITO and Okhla barrage.
“In the second phase of cleaning operation, we will focus on transformation through cleaning of Yamuna banks and desilting of midstream muck. The cleaning of Najafgarh drain has also yielded desired results as the biological oxygen demand (BOD) level in the drain has shown a consistent decline. The same is also getting reflected in the BOD levels in the Yamuna at ISBT. Since the BOD levels in the stretch falling in the second phase are already less than the areas covered in the first phase, we’ll put more attention on desilting. For this, we’ll use a mechanised conveyor system,” Saxena said in a statement.
BOD is considered an indicator of pollution levels in water bodies like rivers and drains. It indicates the amount of oxygen required for the survival of aquatic life and organisms in the water body. A higher BOD means that the demand for oxygen is also high.
Officials in the LG secretariat said the second 11km stretch has been divided into three parts — ITO to Nizamuddin bridge, Nizamuddin bridge to DND flyway, and DND flyway to Okhla barrage.
“The cleaning operation will be different from the first phase as this stretch has less municipal solid waste (MSW) as compared to the stretch between Signature Bridge and ITO. Instead, this stretch contains more hyacinth, and the riverbed is wider,” said an official, declining to be named.
The official said to measure pollution levels of the river’s water, samples collected from different points between the stretch were sent to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), the results of which are awaited. “Like the first phase, all the drains and sub-drains falling into the river will also be trapped. We’ll also ensure treatment of 727 million gallons a day (mgd) — which is 95% of the sewage generated in Delhi — by June 30. Our aim is to achieve a total treatment capacity of 814mgd by December and 964.5mgd by June next year. For this, construction of three new STPs (sewage treatment plants) at Okhla, Delhi Gate and Sonia Vihar, construction of 40 new DSTPs (decentralised sewage treatment plants) at various locations, rehabilitation of three existing STPs and upgradation of 18 existing STPs is being monitored by this committee. We have also allotted land for this purpose within one month, which had been pending for the last eight years,” the officer said.
Bhim Singh Rawat, a Yamuna activist and a member of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), said that any effort to clean the Yamuna is welcome, but the focus should be to control the sources of pollution. “Through such drives, the BOD can improve to an extent and any floating component, including hyacinths, will get cleared out completely to visually make the river appear somewhat cleaner. However, for a significant change, we still need to trap all the trains so that no sewage or any industrial waste reaches the Yamuna,” he said.