Parliament Question: Polluted Yamuna water supply for the people of Delhi

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 258 ANSWERED ON 02.02.2026 POLLUTED YAMUNA WATER SUPPLY FOR THE PEOPLE OF DELHI 258 #. SHRI RAMJI LAL SUMAN: Will the Minister of Jal Shakti be pleased to state: (a) the extent to which the country’s rivers are being polluted by industrial waste and untreated sewage; (b) the amount spent during the last five years to prevent the pollution of the Yamuna river water; (c) the quantity of polluted water in the Yamuna river at present; and (d) the locations where the water of the Yamuna river is potable? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY) (a) Pollution of rivers in the country is primarily caused by the discharge of untreated or partially treated domestic sewage, industrial effluents, and other anthropogenic activities. Under the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP), river water quality is presently monitored by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) at 2,155 locations on 623 rivers spread across 28 States and 7 Union Territories. As per the CPCB report on Polluted River Stretches (2025), a total of 296 polluted river stretches/locations have been identified on 271 rivers in 32 States and Union Territories. The details of the State-wise number of polluted river stretches identified is enclosed at Annexure. The polluted river stretches are further classified into five priority categories based on the severity of pollution, with Priority-I stretches representing the most critically polluted segments. The assessment indicates that river pollution is not uniform along the entire length of a river but is generally confined to specific locations or stretches. The report also reflects an overall improving trend in river water quality, with the number of polluted river stretches reducing from 351 in 2018 to 296 in 2025, indicating the impact of ongoing pollution abatement and sewage management measures. (b) As informed by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), a total expenditure of ₹ 6,151.28 crore has been incurred for pollution abatement and cleaning of the Yamuna River in Delhi during the last five years, from 2020- 21 to 2024-25. Under the Namami Gange Programme, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has disbursed ₹ 1,396.51 crore during the last five financial years (FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25) to various Agencies for implementation of Projects contributing to abatement of pollution of River Yamuna in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh & Delhi. 1(c) The quantity of polluted water in the Yamuna river cannot be expressed as a single uniform volume, as pollution levels vary significantly spatially and temporally. CPCB therefore assesses pollution in terms of water quality parameters like BOD rather than volumetric estimates of polluted water. (d) As per Designated Best Use (DBU) water quality criteria specified by CPCB, water quality is categorized into two classes for drinking purpose i.e. Class A (Drinking water source without conventional treatment but after disinfection) and Class C (Drinking water source after conventional treatment and disinfection). However, under Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986, primary water quality criteria is notified only for outdoor bathing (pH:6.5-8.5; Dissolved Oxygen≥5mg/l; Biochemical Oxygen Demand≤3 mg/l; Fecal Coliforms≤2500 MPN/100ml &Fecal streptococci ≤500 MPN/100ml). Surface water including that of rivers is required to undergo necessary treatment/purification for making it potable or fit for human consumption. Potability of river water is determined with reference to the prescribed drinking water standards and is assessed after appropriate treatment by the concerned water supply agencies. As per CPCB monitoring under the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP), at five locations in Uttarakhand, namely Yamunotri, Sayanachatti, Lakhwar, Kalsi and Barkot the water quality of the Yamuna River falls under Class-A, which is suitable for drinking water after disinfection, as per CPCB’s Designated Best Use of Water Criteria and in Himachal Pradesh the water quality of the Yamuna River in the State generally falls under Class-B/Class-C, indicating its suitability as a drinking water source after conventional treatment and disinfection. *** 2ANNEXURE ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 258 TO BE ANSWERED IN RAJYA SABHA ON 02.02.2026 REGARDING “POLLUTED YAMUNA WATER SUPPLY FOR THE PEOPLE OF DELHI”. State-wise number of polluted river stretches identified Sl. State Priority Priority Priority Priority Priority Total No. I II III IV V 1 Andhra Pradesh 0 0 1 0 3 4 2 Arunachal Pradesh 0 0 0 0 4 4 3 Assam 1 0 0 1 4 6 4 Bihar 0 0 4 2 6 12 5 Chhattisgarh 0 1 3 0 2 6 6 Daman, Diu & 0 1 0 0 0 1 Dadra Nagar Haveli 7 Delhi 1 0 0 0 0 1 8 Goa 0 1 0 0 1 2 9 Gujarat 4 2 0 2 2 10 10 Haryana 2 1 1 0 0 4 11 Himachal Pradesh 2 3 2 2 1 10 12 Jammu & Kashmir 0 0 1 2 4 7 13 Jharkhand 0 0 1 1 8 10 14 Karnataka 3 0 4 2 5 14 15 Kerala 0 0 2 4 26 32 16 Madhya Pradesh 2 1 2 3 10 18 17 Maharashtra 2 5 9 15 23 54 18 Manipur 0 0 0 0 18 18 19 Meghalaya 2 0 0 0 0 2 20 Mizoram 0 2 1 0 1 4 21 Nagaland 0 0 0 1 1 2 22 Odisha 0 0 1 0 5 6 23 Puducherry 0 0 0 1 1 2 24 Punjab 2 0 0 0 0 2 25 Rajasthan 0 0 0 0 8 8 26 Sikkim 0 2 0 1 0 3 27 Tamil Nadu 5 1 0 1 2 9 28 Telangana 0 1 3 0 1 5 29 Tripura 0 0 0 0 1 1 30 Uttar Pradesh 5 1 2 3 5 16 31 Uttarakhand 5 0 4 2 1 12 32 West Bengal 1 0 2 2 6 11 Total 37 22 43 45 149 296 ***** 3