**Executive Summary**
This document, released on December 1, 2023, by PIB Delhi on behalf of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, addresses the pollution issues in the Yamuna River within Delhi and the efforts to rejuvenate it. Despite significant expenditure, key pollution sources persist due to gaps in sewage and solid waste treatment and project delays. The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is providing financial assistance and has sanctioned projects to enhance sewage treatment capacity, with the goal of improving water quality.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Expenditure and Monitoring:**
* Approximately ₹5,536 crores have been spent in the last three financial years to keep the Yamuna River clean.
* The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) monitors water quality via the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).
* **Water Quality at Palla:**
* The median values for Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Dissolved Oxygen (DO) from January to July 2025 were 4 mg/l and 6 mg/l, respectively.
* September 2025 readings show BOD at 2.5 mg/l and DO at 9.5 mg/l, within healthy river limits.
* **Reasons for Pollution:**
* Discharge of untreated/partially treated sewage (treatment gap of 414 MLD in August 2025).
* Absence of Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) in some industrial areas.
* Delays in sewage treatment project completion and upgrades.
* Solid waste treatment gap of 4221 TPD (11862 TPD generation vs. 7641 TPD treatment capacity).
* **NMCG Initiatives:**
* NMCG supports states in controlling Yamuna pollution through financial aid.
* NMCG has sanctioned 35 projects under the Namami Gange Program, costing ₹6,534 crores for 2,243 MLD STP capacity, with 21 projects completed.
**Impact Analysis**
**Ministry of Jal Shakti**
* **Impact:** Responsible for overseeing the efforts to clean and rejuvenate the Yamuna River.
* **Action Required:** Continue monitoring the effectiveness of the projects and expenditure, and address the identified gaps in sewage and solid waste treatment.
**Delhi Jal Board (DJB)**
* **Impact:** Responsible for implementing measures to clean the Yamuna River within Delhi.
* **Action Required:** Improve sewage treatment capacity, address the solid waste treatment gap, and expedite the completion of ongoing projects.
**Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) & Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC)**
* **Impact:** Responsible for monitoring the water quality of the Yamuna River in Delhi.
* **Action Required:** Continue monitoring and reporting water quality data, and provide guidance to the DJB on pollution control measures.
**States of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh**
* **Impact:** Beneficiaries of NMCG financial assistance for rejuvenation projects.
* **Action Required:** Utilize the financial assistance to implement effective pollution control measures and expedite the completion of rejuvenation projects.
**Citizens of Delhi**
* **Impact:** Directly affected by the water quality of the Yamuna River.
* **Action Required:** Support and promote initiatives for reducing pollution and ensuring a clean Yamuna River.
Key Entities Referenced
Yamuna River: The river whose pollution is being addressed.
National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG): Agency supplementing states' efforts to reduce Yamuna pollution.
Namami Gange Program: Program under which the NMCG is working to rejuvenate Yamuna river.
Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC): Monitors water quality and provides pollution reports.
Delhi Jal Board (DJB): The agency that provides expenditure information on Yamuna River clean-up.
Ministry of Jal Shakti
LAXITY IN MAKING THE YAMUNA CLEAN AND
POLLUTION-FREE
प्रव तथ: 01 DEC 2025 7:13PM by PIB Delhi
As per the information provided by Delhi Jal Board (DJB), the expenditure made to keep Yamuna River
clean in the last three financial years is about 5536 crores.
River Yamuna enters National Capital Territory of Delhi at the village Palla, and the river water quality in
Delhi is being monitored by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) through Delhi Pollution Control
Committee (DPCC). The water quality at this place keeps on changing throughout the year, depending
upon the availability of water and discharge from the catchment. As per CPCB, the median value of
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Dissolved Oxygen (DO) at this point was reported as 4 mg/l
and 6 mg/l respectively for the period of January to July 2025. However, the water quality monitoring
report provided by DPCC in its Monthly Progress Report submission to NMCG, the BOD level during
monitoring carried out in September 2025 at Palla was 2.5 mg/l and DO was 9.5 mg/l, which was well
within the limit of BOD < 3mg/l and DO > 5 mg/l for a healthy river.
The main reasons for pollution in the River Yamuna in Delhi are:
i. Discharge of untreated/ partially treated sewage into the river Yamuna. As informed by the Delhi
Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), Gap in treatment in August 2025 is 414 MLD;
ii. Absence of Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) in some approved industrial areas;
iii. Delay in completion of new projects and rehabilitation and/or upgradation of sewage treatment
projects.
iv. Further, DPCC, in its Monthly Progress Report submission to NMCG, stated that the solid waste
generation in Delhi is 11862 TPD and a treatment facility of 7641 TPD exists, leaving a gap of 4221
TPD in solid waste treatment.
National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is supplementing the efforts of the States for checking the
rising level of pollution of the river Yamuna by providing financial assistance to the States of Himachal
Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. Under the Namami Gange Program, for the rejuvenation of
the river Yamuna, NMCG has sanctioned a total of 35 projects at an estimated cost of ₹6,534 crores for
the creation of 2,243 MLD STP capacity, out of which 21 projects have been completed.
The information was provided by THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI SHRI RAJ
BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
***
ND
(Rajya Sabha US Q107)
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