Sirsa takes stock of TERI study on Yamuna in Delhi to end frothing, tackle microplastics

Sirsa directed officials from the environment, industries, health and urban development departments, alongside the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), to prepare time-bound implementation plans

A detailed study of microplastics and frothing in the Yamuna has been carried out by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), the Delhi government said, as environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday held a review with TERI scientists to assess their findings.

Toxic froth on the Yamuna surface over the past fortnight. (Sunil Ghosh/HT)

Sirsa directed officials from the environment, industries, health and urban development departments, alongside the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), to prepare time-bound implementation plans based on the report, further identify priority hot spots and submit progress reports at regular intervals.

An official who is privy to the meeting, requesting anonymity, said, “The study identified hot spots where untreated sewage, industrial effluents and solid waste are contributing to frothing, chemical contamination and microplastic load in the river, and proposed targeted interventions, such as advanced oxidation processes, biological nutrient removal, and improved monitoring systems.”

For the study, TERI collected and analysed close to 100 water samples from around 50 critical locations across the Delhi stretch of the Yamuna, including major drains, industrial areas and sewage treatment outlets before and after monsoon.

Sirsa said the findings by TERI give the government a road map to tackle microplastics, frothing and other pollutants by acting simultaneously on sewage, industries, solid waste and citizen behaviour. “The Delhi government, under chief minister Rekha Gupta, is tirelessly working to clean the Yamuna through scientific, data-based interventions,” Sirsa said.

Sirsa said the government will assess and implement suitable recommendations through departments concerned, so that every intervention leads to measurable improvements.

“A specialised coordination cell or committee, comprising officers from all key departments, will be created to ensure integrated planning, execution and monitoring of Yamuna cleaning measures. I have instructed the departments to work in close coordination and remove procedural bottlenecks so that the people of Delhi can see visible changes on the ground at the earliest,” he said.

TERI also presented a department-wise action plan, recommending measures such as upgrading STPs and CETPs with advanced treatment technologies, establishing decentralised effluent treatment plants and strengthening enforcement against illegal discharges and non-compliant units.

“The recommendations further include public awareness campaigns in schools and colleges, regular health surveys in vulnerable communities, improved plastic and solid waste management, and creation of real-time dashboards to track pollution and compliance,” the official cited above said.

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee first floated a proposal to carry out a study on microplastics in the Yamuna in December 2021. The proposal stated that the DPCC wanted to ascertain the concentration, distribution and composition of microplastics in the river, besides the soil and vegetables growing alongside the river.