To pinpoint treated sewage entering Yamuna, Delhi to get 15 new decentralised treatment plants

What happened: Delhi plans 15 decentralised wastewater treatment plants for Yamuna pollution control

Delhi’s government plans to address treated sewage that reportedly continues to enter the Yamuna by installing 15 new decentralised wastewater treatment plants. The plan’s stated objective is to improve local wastewater treatment capacity and reduce sewage discharge into the Yamuna.

Delhi’s government describes decentralised wastewater treatment plants as a way to complement existing infrastructure and to improve targeting and management of sewage flows so wastewater is treated more effectively before it reaches the river.

Background: wastewater treatment and Delhi–Yamuna linkage

Delhi’s wastewater management has a direct link to the Yamuna because the river receives wastewater from urban drainage and sewage systems. The quality of effluent leaving wastewater treatment units affects the level of pollution that eventually enters the river.

Before the proposed expansion, Delhi relied on existing wastewater treatment infrastructure for sewage management. The proposal indicates a perceived need for additional local treatment capacity and better control of sewage flows reaching the Yamuna.