Delhi Jal Board to set up STP at Vasant Kunj

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee said DDA will issue a fresh tender to clean up the water body on a regular basis

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it has acquired land near Vasant Kunj blocks E-1 and E-2 for the construction of a new sewage treatment plant (STP) in the area. The water utility said the new STP will be a long-term solution to the problem of sewage entering a local waterbody.

A municipal worker at a sewage treatment plant in India. (PTI)

DJB, in a submission to the tribunal dated January 13 — which was uploaded on January 23 — said it took over the land parcel from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on December 30, 2024, and has submitted an undertaking to DDA to complete payment by March 31.

“This is in compliance with NGT orders,” DJB said in the submission.

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), in a separate submission, said DDA will issue a fresh tender to clean up the water body on a regular basis.

NGT is hearing a plea filed by a Vasant Kunj resident, who initially complained of dust pollution and debris being dumped near E-1 and E-2, which have a cumulative 2,000 flats. During the proceedings, it was discovered by DJB and DDA that untreated sewage was being dumped in a pond in the vicinity, and the green court directed both bodies to revive the water body.

Last month, DDA had blamed DJB for failing to take over sewerage and piped water supply services in the two Vasant Kunj blocks, stating that a lack of action by the water utility has led to sewage entering the pond. In response, DJB said it planned to create an additional STP in the area, but required additional land from DDA.

Separately, DPCC said that the DDA has also constructed a reinforced cement concrete (RCC) boundary wall adjacent to block K-2and nearby Mahipalpur, from where sewage was reaching the pond.

“The pond adjacent to boundary wall has been cleaned by DDA. However, a fresh tender is to be taken for further cleaning of the pond on a regular basis,” DPCC said in its report dated January 14.