Sewage to be treated at 18 drain points

NEW DELHI: Flagging off the Yamuna rally on Sunday from Jamia Millia Islamia, lieutenant governor Tejendra Khanna reaffirmed the government's commitment to clean the river. Khanna announced that sewage treatment plants (STPs) will be set up at 18 drains at the cost of Rs 1,500 crore for the purpose.
"Sewage water flowing through the major drains such as Najafgarh drain, Shahdara drain, Supplementary drain (upper portion) will be treated before being allowed to flow into the river.The result of this project will show up within two-and-a-half years,'' said Khanna.
The rally was organised jointly by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the Asian Centre for Organisation Research and Development (ACORD) and Jamia Millia Islamia to raise awareness about the state of the Yamuna along the 22-km stretch that passes through Delhi and the role citizens can play in mitigating the impact of pollution in the river.
Over one thousand participants including students, members of RWAs and NGOs, emphasized the need to make a joint commitment for action.
CEO of ACORD, Kiran Wadhera said there are 18 main nallahs/drains in Delhi from where untreated sewage is gushing into the Yamuna."This essentially means that every time you or I staying anywhere in Delhi use our toilet flush, the flushed water goes into one of the 18 drains, thus we are contributing to Yamuna pollution and are equally responsible,'' she added.
Apart from the L-G, other key speakers at the rally included Delhi mayor Arti Mehra and municipal commissioner K S Mehra.