Despite spending `6,500 crore, Yamuna remains dirty: Panel

NEW DELHI: A parliamentary panel has noted that the Yamuna river seems ‘dirtier’ than before despite `6,500 crore having been spent on its clean-up. Even now, a project to lay interceptor sewers along the three major drains of Delhi suffers delays.

In its latest report, the Standing Committee on Urban Development has asked the ministry to expedite the interceptor sewers project to save Yamuna and “sustain its ecology” while observing that the river seems dirtier than before even though `6,500 crore has been spent on cleaning it.

Interceptor sewers along the major drains of the city are crucial for curbing pollution of the Yamuna as they would keep untreated sewage from flowing into the river.

The urban development ministry has sanctioned a project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for laying of interceptor sewers in Delhi. The project is under implementation now.

Noting that a high-powered committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, the 31-member parliamentary panel headed by JD(U) MP Sharad Yadav, said, “By now, the Yamuna’s waters, polluted and black, should have been cleaner.”

However, that has not happened. “The committee observed that the project under JNNURM for laying interceptor sewers along the three major drains -Najafgarh, Supplementary and Shahdara, was approved by the Centre on May 19, 2010, at a cost of `1,357.71 crore and additional central assistance commitment of `475.20 crore.”

“However, according to the report, till January, 2013, there has been 35% progress with financial utilisation of `136 crore only.” The committee opined that treatment of sewage is a must “so that the banks of the river can be developed rather than turning them into a garbage dumping site”.