Sirsa reviews Okhla CETPs, says ageing units to be upgraded or replaced

NEERI is currently conducting a detailed survey with the aim of upgrading technology and enhancing the overall efficacy of CETPs, the environment minister said

Delhi’s environment and industries minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Monday visited the Okhla industrial area and inspected the common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) to assess their efficacy.

The minister’s inspection is part of a broader set of measures being implemented by the Delhi government to make the Yamuna pollution-free. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

He later said the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) was in the process of carrying out a detailed survey to assess the functioning of the CETPs.

The minister’s inspection is part of a broader set of measures being implemented by the Delhi government to make the Yamuna pollution-free. Sirsa also reviewed parameters such as biological oxygen demand (BOD) levels, treatment flow capacities and the overall operational efficiency of the facilities.

“We are actively working on decentralising STPs and CETPs wherever feasible, constructing new facilities where required, and upgrading existing infrastructure wherever necessary. A massive and comprehensive effort is underway to ensure clean water flows into the Yamuna,” Sirsa said.

“NEERI is currently conducting a detailed survey with the aim of upgrading technology and enhancing the overall efficacy of these systems. It is only when the CETPs function correctly and efficiently that the Yamuna will truly receive a new lease of life,” he added.

Sirsa said previous governments had failed to undertake substantive work related to CETPs. In Okhla, the CETPs have a combined capacity to treat 24 million litres per day (MLD) of effluents.

“Industrial waste is a major contributor to the pollution of the Yamuna, and CETPs are critical facilities where this pollution can be intercepted before it enters the river,” Sirsa said, adding that several CETPs in Delhi were between 20 and 25 years old and would be systematically upgraded or replaced.

Under the Delhi government’s broader Yamuna rejuvenation initiative, projects worth over ₹1,000 crore have been initiated so far. These include the construction of 12 new sewage treatment plants (STPs), the upgrade of the Keshopur STP, rehabilitation of trunk sewer networks, and extensive rainwater harvesting initiatives, officials said.