Cleaning of Yamuna River

The Government of India is implementing Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) for cleaning of Yamuna river with assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency, Government of Japan in a phased manner since 1993. Under the first two phases of Yamuna Action Plan, the cleaning of polluted Yamuna is being carried out alongwith the level of the biological oxygen demand of Yamuna. A total of 286 schemes including 39 sewage treatment plants have been completed in 21 towns of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi to clean Yamuna river since 1993..and 767.25 million litres per day of sewage treatment capacity has been created.

The pollution abatement works implemented by the Central and State Governments have helped in improving the water quality in some locations and checking the pace of deterioration in others. The water quality of river Yamuna is less than the desired level in some stretches of river owing to large gap between the demand and availability of sewage treatment capacity and lack of fresh water in the river.

During the current financial year an amount of Rs. 34.88 crore has been released by the Central Government under YAP - II to Delhi Jal Board and Municipal Corporation of Delhi for abatement of pollution of river Yamuna.

Conservation of rivers is an ongoing and collective effort of the Central and State Governments. The timelines and goals of cleaning river Yamuna are embedded in river conservation projects and creation of civic infrastructure for sewage management and disposal taken up under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns, as well as other State sector schemes.

The Minister of State for Environment and Forests (independent charge) Shrimati Jayanthi Natarajan gave this information in a written reply to a question by Shri Anurag Singh Thakur in Lok Sabha today.

KP