New Delhi: Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday asked Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh to collectively ensure a standard ecological flow in the Yamuna river, which is currently at a low level and affecting the water supply in parts of Delhi.
Environmental flow, or e-flow, refers to the minimum flow of water required in a river to sustain its ecological health.
Chairing a review meeting on Yamuna revitalisation in the national capital, Shah urged the governments of Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, along with all concerned ministries, to work towards cleaning the Yamuna not in a fragmented manner, but through an integrated action plan driven by a spirit of teamwork.
Shah also announced that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would be signed between the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to prevent waste from Delhi’s dairies from entering the Yamuna and to convert it instead into biogas and manure.
The minister said that out of the 28.57 lakh metric ton (MT) of silt targeted for removal from Yamuna drains this year, 97% has already been extracted, and the remainder will be removed by June 15.
He also stated that 129 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) have been constructed so far across Delhi, Haryana, and UP, and an additional 59 STPs will be built by the end of 2027.
{{/usCountry}}He also stated that 129 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) have been constructed so far across Delhi, Haryana, and UP, and an additional 59 STPs will be built by the end of 2027.
{{/usCountry}}Arrangements should be made for continuous monitoring of various purification parameters, such as Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and Total Suspended Solids (TSS), in all drains and water sources connected to the Yamuna, the home minister said, adding that the work should be reviewed every 20 days.
Rejuvenating the Yamuna was one of the key promises of the Bharatiya Janata Party during the Delhi Assembly 2025 polls.
Over the last two weeks, Delhi has faced a water supply crisis due to a lack of raw water for the treatment plants fed by the river. The DJB has been forced to deploy dredgers and manual labour to dig up the riverbed to ensure the trickle of remaining water from the deeper pools. The lack of water in the Yamuna has also delayed plans to launch the Yamuna cruise.
To improve the environmental flow and rejuvenate the Yamuna, the Delhi Jal Board plans to utilise highly treated wastewater from three of its advanced STPs, for which a separate conveyance system will be developed.