Delhi Jal Board initiates process for 2043 sewage master plan

The expert agency selected will be given 15 months to complete the task, while the selection process is expected to conclude by October 3

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has formally set in motion the drafting of its Sewage Masterplan 2043, aiming to overhaul the Capital’s sewage infrastructure and chart a roadmap for the next two decades. The water utility has floated tenders to hire experts and consulting firms who will conduct surveys, carry out gap analyses, and review the outcomes of the existing 2031 masterplan, senior officials said.

Waterlogging in Delhi due to drainage backflow during monsoon. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The expert agency selected will be given 15 months to complete the task, while the selection process is expected to conclude by October 3, according to officials who are aware of the DJB’s request for proposals.

One zone-one operator

At the heart of the new plan is a structural shift in how Delhi’s massive sewage system is operated. DJB proposes to develop a “one zone-one operator” model, dividing the city into four zones, each to be managed by a dedicated private agency.

A DJB official explained that under the current set up, replacements of sewer lines, repair work and upgradation are being carried out in piece-meal by the maintenance wing through smaller contracts and tendering process. “Work on separate sewage lines is carried out by different contractors. With a single agency in charge, the process will be much faster and accountability can be fixed,” the official added.

The new model, officials said, is expected to streamline operations and improve accountability, replacing the current piecemeal system of multiple contractors handling repairs and maintenance. “Each zone will be operated by a dedicated agency… This zonal approach aims to streamline operation and maintenance (O&M), improve accountability, and ensure service delivery,” the report, seen by HT, added.

The proposal floated by the water utility states that the key objective of the programme is to achieve “substantial reduction of untreated sewage discharge into the Yamuna and its ecological restoration.” The sewerage improvement scheme will be a long-term integrated planning framework for rehabilitation, augmentation, and future expansion of sewerage infrastructure across Delhi.

Currently, Delhi’s sewage network spans 10,720 km of sewer lines and 38 sewage treatment plants (STPs). The flooding in Yamuna and waterlogging during the heavy spells of rain during this monsoon season has also exposed the gaps in sewage flow. In several places like Burari, parts of Rohini, Bela Road the backflow of sewage lines has occurred highlighting the need for sewage pumping stations.

Under the new framework, the firms hired will be responsible for conducting detailed surveys -- including drone-based topographic mapping -- validating system performance, and preparing tenders for future zonal maintenance contracts.

The Sewerage Masterplan 2031, finalised in 2014, had ambitious targets: to connect all households to the sewer network and ensure zero untreated discharge into the Yamuna. At the time, only around 50% of Delhi’s population was connected.

However, a decade later, DJB claims about 83% coverage, but progress remains slow in unauthorised colonies. “The 2031 plan had a target to cover all unsewered areas as well as zero discharge in Yamuna but many of these markers have not been achieved. The performance against the 2031 plan will also be assessed in this process,” said a senior DJB official, asking not to be identified.

The new plan is expected to guide rehabilitation, augmentation, and expansion works until 2043.

Pressure on treatment capacity

DJB supplies around 1,000 million gallons per day of potable water to more than 20 million people of Delhi through a network of nine water treatment plants (WTP), 123 underground reservoirs (UGRs), and around 15,600 km of water supply lines.

Delhi generates an estimated 990 million gallons per day (MGD) of wastewater -- about 80% of its water supply. However, the city’s 37 STPs, spread across 20 locations, have a combined installed capacity of only 667 MGD, with actual utilisation averaging 565 MGD. This leaves a gap of 227 MGD (around 23%) untreated sewage flowing into drains, water bodies, and the Yamuna.

As part of the Yamuna Action Plan, DJB has been tasked with doubling its sewage treatment capacity by June 2027, an enormous undertaking that will require new plants, expansion of existing ones, and improved network efficiency.

Atul Goyal, who heads United RWAs Joint Action, URJA, an umbrella group of RWAs, said that welcomed the idea to hire a single agency for a region’s maintenance work, but said that the initiative should be taken forward and a common drainage authority should also be set up. “There should be one agency overseeing the storm water system that carried rain water and sewage system carrying wastewater from homes. Delhi has mixed system in many places. We are wasting rainwater, while the sewage backflow is becoming increasingly common,” he added.

He said that backflow of smelly and dark water during the monsoon and floods has clearly exposed that storm water system is mixing with sewage system.”

Experts, however, have long criticised Delhi’s sewage management, pointing to under-utilisation of existing plants and discrepancies in how sewage generation is assessed.