River pollution down in Delhi after intervention: Yamuna panel

The committee cited data by the DPCC to claim that biological oxygen demand levels measured at various points in the river showed improvement

A high-level committee on Yamuna rejuvenation chaired by Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena on Friday said that pollution levels in the river have dipped over the last one year.

HLC on Yamuna rejuvenation was formed by the National Green Tribunal on January 9, 2023for reviving the river, with the Delhi LG appointed as its chairperson for overseeing the progress of projects in this regard. (HT Photo)

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At a meeting, the committee, citing data by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), said that the biological oxygen demand (BOD) levels in the river measured at the ISBT Kashmere Gate ghat after the Najafgarh Drain meets the river showed that BOD dipped from 55 milligrams of oxygen per litre (mg/l) in May 2022 to 38mg/l in May 2023.

BOD is an indicator of pollution levels in water bodies and indicates the amount of oxygen required by aquatic life and organisms in the river in order to survive. The higher the BOD, the greater is this demand, which in turn means aquatic life is unlikely to survive. To be sure, BOD levels in a river should be 3mg/l or less, according to the Central Pollution Control Board standards.

The BOD concentration was also down by 40% at the point in the river just after it meets the Shahdara drain. In May this year, it stood at 48mg/l as against 80mg/l last year. Separately, the BOD level dipped by 37% in the Najafgarh drain, falling from 76mg/l in May 2022 to 38mg/l this year, according to DPCC data.

“In case of Yamuna, at ISBT, after the Najafgarh Drain meets the river, BOD levels that stood at 42 mg/l in January 2022, came down to 38mg/l in January 2023. The figure for May 2022 stood at 55mg/l that came down to 38mg/l in May 2023. Similarly, in the Yamuna at the site after the Shahdara Drain meets the river BOD levels that stood at 60 mg/l in January 2022, came down to 56mg/l in January 2023. The figure for May 2022 stood at 80mg/l and came down to 48mg/l in May 2023,” said HLC in a statement.

DPCC, which comes under the Delhi government, is responsible for collecting water samples from Delhi’s drains, treatment plants and ghats along the Yamuna on a monthly basis.

HLC on Yamuna rejuvenation was formed by the National Green Tribunal on January 9, 2023for reviving the river, with the Delhi LG appointed as its chairperson for overseeing the progress of projects in this regard.

HLC monitors the rejuvenation of Yamuna under eight verticals — 100% treatment of sewage; trapping of all drains; construction of sewerage networks in unauthorised colonies and JJ clusters; industrial effluent management through CETPs; septage management; restoration and rejuvenation of Yamuna floodplains; utilisation of treated waste water; and environmental management plan of Najafgarh Jheel.

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Delhi water minister Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed the LG was “stealing taking credit” for the work done by the state government. “A six-point plan to clean Yamuna was launched by CM Kejriwal in November 2021, much before Vinai Kumar Saxena was sent as the Hon’ble LG,” said Bharadwaj.