Gurugram to plug sewage discharge into drains to cut Yamuna pollution

150 MLD untreated flow to be diverted to STPs; deadlines set for three major drains as govt pushes phased cleanup plan, officials said.

The Haryana government has directed civic agencies in Gurugram to plug illegal sewage discharge points in the city’s Leg One, Leg Two and Leg Three stormwater drains by June-end in a phased manner to curb pollution in the Yamuna River, officials said.

The Badshahpur Drain connecting from Ghata to the Najafgarh Drain via Gadoli Khurd near Sector 37. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

As per government estimates, around 150 million litres per day (MLD) of untreated sewage currently flowing into these drains will be diverted to sewage treatment plants (STPs) once the discharge points are plugged, reducing pollution levels in the Yamuna.

The directions were issued during a meeting chaired by chief secretary Anurag Rastogi on March 13, details of which were recently shared by the Haryana State Pollution Department.

According to a communique, “All the effluent discharge points entering into Drain No. 6, Mungeshpur Drain, Leg-I Drain, Leg-II Drain and Leg-III Drain and further discharged into River Yamuna directly/indirectly may be connected to the sewerage system leading to nearby STPs within the timelines as mentioned in the Yamuna Action Plan with respect to each of said drains.”

The Leg Two drain carries 78 MLD untreated effluent through 17 discharge points into the Najafgarh drain. Authorities have set a June 30 deadline to divert this flow to STPs and plug the illegal outlets. The drain begins near Chakkarpur village and passes through Signature Tower, Atul Kataria Chowk and along Sheetla Mata Road before joining the Najafgarh drain.

Leg three, or Badshahpur drain, has 37 discharge points releasing over 70 MLD effluent, all of which are to be plugged and diverted to STPs by June 30.

A senior official of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) said work has begun. “Stopping the flow of effluents into the Najafgarh drain and into the Yamuna River is a matter of high priority, and we have already started work on plugging the illegal sewage discharge points into stormwater drains. A tender has already been floated for ploughing illegal discharge points into the Leg 2 drain, and similar works will be awarded for the other two drains,” he said.

During the meeting, officials said Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) with capacities of 1.5 MLD in Sector 18, 9 MLD in Sector 37, and 20 MLD in Sector 34 will be constructed in Gurugram by HSIDC to treat industrial wastewater. Additionally, sewage treatment plants (STPs) of 100 MLD capacity each will be set up in Behrampur, Dhanwapur and Sector 107.

On cost estimates and funding, senior government officials said that the expenditure for plugging discharge points and constructing sewage and effluent treatment plants will be borne by the respective departments concerned.

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) also said that while granting a change of land use (CLU), project proponents may be required to install CETPs alongside the construction and commissioning of their projects.

On execution readiness, the Haryana State Industrial Infrastructure and Development Corporation (HSIIDC) informed during the meeting that land availability for the proposed 9 MLD CETP has been taken up with HSVP, which stated that the land falls under the commercial category and can be sold at commercial rates.

For the 20 MLD CETP in Sector 34, Gurugram, HSIIDC said the land has already been transferred to it and the tender for the project is likely to be invited within two months.