Tender floated to measure sewage entering Yamuna from major drains, DJB tells NGT

New Delhi: Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has informed National Green Tribunal (NGT) that to accurately assess the volume of sewage entering the Yamuna, it floated a tender to install flow-measurement systems on major drains that discharge into the river.In a status report dated Feb 2, DJB said the proposed systems would help authorities measure the exact quantity of wastewater flowing through key drains across the city. The data is expected to assist agencies in planning interception and treatment measures aimed at reducing the discharge of untreated sewage into the Yamuna.According to the board, installing flow meters will allow officials to quantify sewage loads in major drains and identify priority areas where infrastructure interventions are required. "That measurement... is an essential component of effective interception and treatment," DJB stated.The move is part of broader efforts by city authorities to curb pollution in the Yamuna, which continues to receive large volumes of untreated wastewater from multiple sources.However, DJB also told NGT that a significant portion of sewage entering these drains originated from informal settlements and JJ clusters where sewer networks were not yet laid. The board stated that the delays in connecting these clusters to the sewer system were to be addressed by Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), responsible for developing basic infrastructure in these areas.DJB stated that of the 10 drains emerging from JJ clusters within Barapullah Drainage Basin, two — Shri Ram Camp and Madrasi Camp — were successfully trapped into the sewer network. A survey was conducted by DJB and DUSIB for the remaining eight JJ cluster drains. It said DUSIB had expressed its inability to provide sewerage from the JJ clusters at a single discharge point for further trapping into the DJB sewer network."In view of the aforesaid constraint and in order to ensure that untreated sewage does not enter the storm water drain, DJB is actively exploring the installation of modular/decentralised sewage treatment plants for the remaining JJ clusters," DJB stated. "Suitable locations have been identified and correspondence has been initiated with the land-owning agencies." The status report was filed in response to proceedings initiated after a petition by local resident Shamsher Singh. The case concerns the alleged dumping of septage by unauthorised trucks and tankers on roadsides and into drains across the city, which subsequently pollutes the Yamuna.