Delhi Jal Board shelves plans for 20 sewage plants

The revision in plan comes in the wake of technical, financial and land availability issues, along with the new gap analysis carried out over the last four months

New Delhi

Toxic foam in the Yamuna is a problem due to heavy pollution. The STPs are part of a plan to reduce inflow of polluted water into the Yamuna. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has decided to shelve around 20 decentralised sewage treatment plant (DSTPs) due to delays and land availability issues, bringing down the number of such planned facilities from 56 to 36 that are aimed at improving water flow into the Yamuna, the board said in a report.

The revision in plan comes in the wake of technical, financial and land availability issues, along with the new gap analysis carried out over the last four months, officials said.

The DJB said in its report, “... while 56 DSTPs were initially the SMP-2031, a thorough techno-economic reassessment and land feasibility study led to their strategic rationalization to 40 optimized locations. Pursuant to the Gap Analysis undertaken by DJB in last four months, the number has been further consolidated to 34-36 sites.”

In its report dated October 11 to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), DJB assured that it will deploy internal financial resources for minor works and connectivity in areas with a sewerage network. “For major infrastructure projects including construction-of new DSTPs and associated sewer lines, funding assistance has been sought from the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and request is under process,” it said.

The DJB sought to assure the tribunal that the reduction in the number of DSTPs will not affect its treatment capacity, saying that multiple proposed plants that have been shelved will be merged to create “more technically superior DSTPs” to counter the shortfall. DSTP units that have been merged include those at Chandanhola, Satbari, Maidangarhi, and Chhattarpur Extension with facilities at Ghitorni and Nayabans. Similarly, the Rani Khera and Madanpur Dabas sites have been merged with the Rohini plant.

Under the Delhi Sewage Master Plan 2031, which was launched in 2014, the Delhi government had planned to set up 56 DSTPs on the outskirts of the city to cover areas without sewer networks and reduce the pollution load on the Yamuna. However, over a decade since, the plan has remained on paper.

In its report, the DJB said that its chief executive officer Kaushal Raj Sharmawrote to the NMCG on September 19 to secure funding for 16 DSTPs that are estimated to cost around ₹2,267 crore. The revised action plan states that 13 DSTPs are currently at the tender stage and a likely to be completed by December 2027, with funding under the Centre’s AMRUT 2.0 scheme.

It said that administrative approval for another 15 plans has been granted and are ready for the bidding stage, but that it will ensure funds first, with a deadline of December 2028 proposed for the second lot.

The DJB said that DSTPs lead to large-scale cost savings. “In some cases, the cost savings related to transportation infrastructure for effluents is around 80%. Moreover, since the water in these cases is treated near the source, the treated wastewater can be used locally for horticulture purposes, irrigation and rejuvenation of water bodies,” an official said.

The DJB said in its report, “... consolidation is a solution-oriented approach in overcoming challenges of land availability and inter-agency coordination, ensuring that every proposed plant remains viable for construction and sustainable operation.”