By The announcement comes days after the Delhi government’s ‘Chalo Yamuna’ campaign brought together more than 35,000 participants for a large-scale riverbank cleanup on October 18. The drive covered 70 locations and resulted in the removal of 76,755 kg of waste in a single morning. Singh said efforts to restore the river must go beyond cleaning its banks and focus on preventing sewage from entering the water in the first place.
43 Projects Cover Sewage Treatment and Water Supply
The October 22 programme includes the inauguration of 10 projects valued at ₹2,827.11 crore, while foundation stones will be laid for another 33 projects worth ₹6,114.11 crore.
Among the major projects is a new 124-million-gallon-per-day (MGD) sewage treatment plant at Okhla, estimated to cost ₹1,161 crore. The package also includes upgrades to eight existing sewage treatment plants at a cost of ₹1,041 crore. Their combined treatment capacity is expected to increase from 78.2 MGD to 140.8 MGD, with an estimated 78.5 lakh people set to benefit.
Another component involves 29 decentralised sewage treatment plants and sewage pumping stations worth ₹3,113.67 crore. These facilities are intended to extend sewage management infrastructure to 358 unauthorised colonies and 113 villages, covering a population of approximately 36.29 lakh.
The government has also included a 1,034-km sewer network costing ₹1,691 crore, aimed at expanding sewage collection and connectivity across the city.
Chandrawal Plant to Serve 22 Lakh People
The project package includes a 477-million-litres-per-day (MLD) water treatment plant at Chandrawal, estimated to cost ₹298.3 crore. According to the details shared by the minister, the facility will replace older plants built in 1935 and 1955 and is expected to serve around 22 lakh people.
Another project is the construction of a 4.5-km trunk drain at Mundka, with an estimated cost of ₹225.02 crore. Together, the projects are intended to strengthen Delhi’s water and sewage infrastructure as the city faces the challenges of growing demand and river pollution.
The scale of the proposed investment places sewage treatment and wastewater management at the centre of the government’s announced plan. Singh stressed that preventing untreated sewage from reaching the Yamuna would be essential to achieving lasting improvements in the river’s condition.
‘Chalo Yamuna’ Cleanup Draws More Than 35,000 Participants
The October 18 cleanup drive extended along several stretches of the Yamuna, from Soor Ghat in Wazirabad and Signature Bridge to Yamuna Bazar, ITO, Nizamuddin, Sarai Kale Khan and Chilla.
The participants included around 20,000 citizens, families and members of resident welfare associations, 10,500 party workers, 2,500 students and 2,000 volunteers from non-governmental organisations. Students from more than 25 Delhi University colleges joined the campaign, including over 400 students from Deshbandhu College.
The cleanup operation involved 26 JCB machines, 19 tractor-trolleys, 24 boats, seven weed harvesters and trash skimmers, along with 269 Public Works Department maintenance vans. More than 10 government departments and agencies, including the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, PWD, MCD, Delhi Jal Board, DUSIB, Delhi Police and DDMA, participated.
Officials also collected around seven tonnes of waste from Usmanpur village and more than 5.6 tonnes from Sonia Vihar.
‘Birthday with Yamuna’ Initiative Announced
Alongside the cleanup campaign and infrastructure projects, Singh announced a new initiative called ‘Birthday with Yamuna’. Under the plan, huts will be set up along the riverbank to allow people to celebrate their birthdays there.
The minister said he would celebrate his own birthday with the Yamuna on November 7 and invited Delhi residents to take part in the initiative. He said the broader objective was to turn river cleanliness into a sustained public movement rather than an occasional campaign.
With the upcoming projects addressing sewage treatment, sewer connectivity and water supply, the government is seeking to combine infrastructure investment with public participation in efforts to improve the Yamuna’s condition.
