DJB’s biggest sewage plant is all set to miss fourth deadline
Work on the project began in July 2019, with a deadline of December 2022, which was further pushed to June, October, and December 2023
The upcoming Okhla sewage treatment plant (STP) is set to miss another deadline and the project will likely be completed only in March 2024, Delhi Jal Board officials aware of the matter said on Thursday.
The plant is a joint venture between the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and DJB, and was cleared by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in 2019. The STP is expected to enable the water utility to clean 124 million gallons per day (mgd) of wastewater, and will be the largest such facility in the country, officials said. The STP is expected to play a key role in DJB’s plan to treat 100% sewage generated in the city and prevent outflow of untreated effluents into the Yamuna.
Work on the project began in July 2019, with a deadline of December 2022, which was further pushed to June, October, and December 2023. DJB officials said a fund crunch as well as construction bans during the winter season have delayed work on the project.
HT reached out to the Delhi government, but officials did not respond to queries for a comment on the matter.
{{/usCountry}}HT reached out to the Delhi government, but officials did not respond to queries for a comment on the matter.
{{/usCountry}}In a report submitted to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), DJB said the liquid line in the plant, that keeps the flow running, is expected to be completed by December 2023, and the revised timeline for the project is March next year.
{{/usCountry}}In a report submitted to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), DJB said the liquid line in the plant, that keeps the flow running, is expected to be completed by December 2023, and the revised timeline for the project is March next year.
{{/usCountry}}Delhi generates an estimated sewage of 792mgd, but has the capacity to treat only 667mgd — 84.2% of the daily sewage generation. DJB data shows that the existing 37 STPs are also underutilised, working at an estimated 69.4% of their installed capacity. “The existing gap in the installed capacity is 125mgd. Our long-term plan to plug this gap includes new STPs at Okhla, Delhi Gate, and Sonia Vihar, along with the rehabilitation and upgradation of existing facilities,” a DJB official said. The Okhla plant is a part of the Yamuna Action Plan-3, which is largely funded by the central government and it is set to be one of the most advanced DJB facilities, with a sludge management component and ultraviolet technology, officials said.
{{/usCountry}}Delhi generates an estimated sewage of 792mgd, but has the capacity to treat only 667mgd — 84.2% of the daily sewage generation. DJB data shows that the existing 37 STPs are also underutilised, working at an estimated 69.4% of their installed capacity. “The existing gap in the installed capacity is 125mgd. Our long-term plan to plug this gap includes new STPs at Okhla, Delhi Gate, and Sonia Vihar, along with the rehabilitation and upgradation of existing facilities,” a DJB official said. The Okhla plant is a part of the Yamuna Action Plan-3, which is largely funded by the central government and it is set to be one of the most advanced DJB facilities, with a sludge management component and ultraviolet technology, officials said.
{{/usCountry}}Environmental activist Diwan Singh, who organised a Yamuna “satyagrah” for the rejuvenation of the river and several water bodies in the city, said that a lack of accountability results in the Yamuna suffering. “Many of the existing STPs are not meeting design parameters. The interceptor project to tap sewage has also faced delayed. Yamuna and the city’s environment pays for these delays,” he said.
