The Sabarmati vision for a rejuvenated Yamuna, Delhi

During a recent study visit to the Sabarmati riverfront with officials, I saw how reviving a river can transform much more than its banks

During a recent study visit to the Sabarmati riverfront with officials, I saw how reviving a river can transform much more than its banks. Families spending time by the water, young people cycling and playing sports, and citizens using public spaces have made the Sabarmati part of Ahmedabad’s everyday life and identity. But it was not always this way. For decades, rapid urbanisation, sewage, industrial discharge and unplanned activities had weakened the relationship between the city and its river. Parts of the riverbed were used for informal activities, settlements grew along the banks, and sewage entered the river through multiple discharge points. The Sabarmati had become a neglected edge of Ahmedabad rather than a living part of the city.

For decades, rapid urbanisation, sewage, industrial discharge and unplanned activities had weakened the relationship between the city and its river.

The transformation of the Sabarmati offers Delhi an important lesson: river rejuvenation cannot begin with beautification. It must begin by addressing the sources of pollution and the systems that allow it to reach the river. The Sabarmati Riverfront project, whose institutional framework was established in the late 1990s and construction began in 2005, adopted precisely this approach. Under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi Ji, then chief minister of Gujarat, the project received the momentum needed to move from planning to execution. Interceptor sewers captured 38 sewage discharge points and diverted wastewater toward treatment facilities. Flood protection, bank management, rehabilitation and livelihood measures were undertaken alongside environmental infrastructure. Dedicated facilities were developed for the dhobi community and spaces were created for vendors. Only after these foundations were addressed did Ahmedabad build promenades, parks, ghats and public spaces. The river was first made healthier and safer, and then accessible and vibrant.

The Yamuna today faces many of the same challenges, though on a much larger and more complex scale. The river is inseparable from Delhi’s history, culture and civilisational identity. Yet rapid urbanisation, inadequate sewer connectivity, untreated sewage, industrial discharge, dairy waste, solid waste and unplanned activities around the river and its floodplain have placed an enormous burden on Maa Yamuna.

Delhi has 22 major drains flowing into the river, with the Najafgarh and Shahdara drains contributing a substantial share of the pollution load. The problem, therefore, cannot be solved only at the riverbank. Every untreated sewage outlet, unconnected settlement, industrial discharge, improperly managed dairy waste stream and polluted drain eventually becomes a Yamuna problem. The first task must be to stop pollution before it reaches the river.

That is the approach being pursued by the Delhi government today. When the present government assumed office, Delhi’s sewage-treatment capacity was around 749 MGD. It has since risen to approximately 814 MGD. But this is only the beginning. A major expansion programme is underway, involving 29 decentralised sewage treatment plants, 13 new STPs at major drain outfalls and catchment areas, and the upgradation of nine existing STPs. Together, these interventions are designed to take Delhi’s sewage-treatment capacity to around 1,500 MGD. The 29 decentralised plants alone will add significant treatment capacity, bringing treatment closer to where sewage is generated.

The importance of the 1,500 MGD target goes beyond a number. It represents a change in how Delhi approaches the Yamuna. For years, we discussed cleaning the river after pollution had already entered it. The objective now is to intercept and treat wastewater before it reaches the river. That means expanding sewer connectivity, creating treatment capacity closer to the source, intercepting polluted drains, upgrading existing plants, monitoring industrial discharge and ensuring that treatment plants meet prescribed standards. Building infrastructure is only half the job; ensuring that it performs consistently is equally important. That is why monitoring and accountability are being strengthened.

There has been measurable progress over the past year. Sewage-treatment capacity has increased substantially, while the government has accelerated the upgradation of existing plants and taken forward new treatment infrastructure. Desilting and drain management have also been intensified. In-situ treatment of drains is being pursued so wastewater can be treated before it reaches the Yamuna. These may not always be the most visible interventions, but they are the foundation on which a clean river must be built.

The Yamuna also demands coordination beyond Delhi. A river does not recognise administrative boundaries. Its ecological flow and pollution are connected across Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Under the leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji, greater coordination between the Centre and the three states is essential to treat the Yamuna as one ecological system, with clear responsibilities, measurable targets and continuous monitoring.

But cleaning the Yamuna is only one part of the larger vision. Delhi must also reconnect with its river. Here again, the Sabarmati provides inspiration, but Delhi cannot simply copy Ahmedabad. The Yamuna is a living floodplain ecosystem, with wetlands, biodiversity and seasonal flows that must be protected. Its riverfront must therefore be nature-led and flood-resilient, not simply a concrete waterfront. Green spaces, walking and cycling corridors, sports facilities and restored ecological areas can bring citizens closer to the river while respecting its natural character. Work across stretches such as Asita, Kalindi Aviral, Kalindi Biodiversity Park and Yamuna Vanasthali is part of this broader effort, while the proposed cycling corridor between the Old Railway Bridge and NH-24 can help reconnect Delhi with its river.

Environmental restoration must also respect people, livelihoods and traditions. The Sabarmati experience demonstrates that rehabilitation and organised livelihood solutions can form an important part of sustainable riverfront development. We are studying its mechanised laundry model and exploring suitable solutions for Delhi. Similarly, the proposed grand Chhath Ghat at Kalindi Kunj reflects the belief that faith, public access and environmental responsibility can coexist when properly planned.

The parallel between Sabarmati and Yamuna is ultimately a lesson in governance. Both rivers suffered when urban growth, pollution and unplanned activities grew faster than the infrastructure required to manage them. Both show that river rejuvenation cannot be achieved through beautification alone. It requires political will, sewage infrastructure, regulation, flood management, protection of the ecosystem, rehabilitation where necessary and sustained coordination between agencies.

The Sabarmati shows what becomes possible when a city stops treating its river as a problem and starts treating it as an asset. Delhi’s journey will be more complex, but the principle is clear: stop pollution at the source, expand treatment capacity, restore the ecosystem, protect the floodplain, organise livelihoods and reconnect citizens with the river.

Our target of 1,500 MGD is a critical part of that journey. The work will happen drain by drain, sewer by sewer, treatment plant by treatment plant and stretch by stretch. Shri Narendra Modi Ji showed through the transformation of the Sabarmati that a neglected river can become a symbol of confidence, environmental renewal and urban transformation.

Delhi now has the opportunity to write its own chapter. When the Yamuna changes, Delhi will change. And when Maa Yamuna returns to the heart of Delhi, it will not merely mean the revival of a river; it will mean the revival of Delhi’s relationship with its own history and a defining step towards Viksit Delhi.

Parvesh Sahib Singh is a cabinet minister in the Delhi government. The views expressed are personal.