Delhi pollution body orders admin takeover of Okhla effluent treatment plant

The DPCC has taken over the Okhla CETP due to operational deficiencies and is recovering ₹1.30 crore in environmental compensation after untreated effluent discharge.

New Delhi

The committee also asked the revenue department to recover ₹1.30 crore in environmental compensation. (Representative photo)

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) on Friday directed an administrative takeover of the Okhla Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) and initiated recovery of pending environmental compensation, after it found multiple operational deficiencies at the facility.

In a statement on X, DPCC said the industries department of the Delhi government has been directed “to take over operation and maintenance of Okhla CETP… within 30 days.” The committee also asked the revenue department to recover ₹1.30 crore in environmental compensation, as ordered by the CETP society.

To be sure, the 11 CETPs in Delhi were handed over to the respective CETP Societies of the industrial area in 2005 for operation and maintenance, as per court orders.

The action comes days after a video circulating on social media showed the plant discharging untreated effluents from the plant into a nearby drain. Taking cognisance of the complaint, DPCC conducted an inspection and collected samples from various points for laboratory analysis.

The DPCC listed issues of choked bar screens, floating sludge in treatment units, inadequate sludge management and some non-functional filtration units.

“While the inspection did not find any visibly polluted discharge at the outlet, the final determination will depend on laboratory results. Samples have been sent to the DPCC laboratory… appropriate regulatory action, including environmental compensation, will be taken if violations… are confirmed,” the committee said.

According to DPCC, the CETP operator attributed the incident in the viral video to a “mechanical pump malfunction” during a backwash process, which temporarily diverted effluent flow. The defect was subsequently rectified, officials said.

However, the team that conducted the inspection team noted systemic issues in plant operations. These included poor maintenance of screening systems that allowed floating waste into treatment tanks and deficiencies in sludge handling mechanisms, raising concerns over compliance with prescribed environmental norms.

DPCC said follow-up inspections will be carried out to ensure compliance and that necessary directions will be issued to rectify the shortcomings identified during the visit.

CETPs are designed to treat industrial wastewater from clusters of small-scale industries that may not have individual treatment facilities. In Delhi, these plants play a critical role in preventing untreated industrial discharge from entering drains and ultimately, the Yamuna.