According to a senior official, no dirty water would be flowing into the Yamuna by the end of December since all drains conveying sewage into the river will be plugged.
The almost 1,300-kilometre-long Yamuna River is one of the most polluted in the country and supplies water to more than half of the national capital. As per G Asok Kumar, Director General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), there are 18 drains that transport polluted water into the Yamuna, and plans are in the works to tap these drains and transfer the bad water to sewage treatment plants (STPs).
Mr Kumar stated that after unclean water is no longer pouring into the river, the next step would be to set a minimum flow of water in the Yamuna to ensure its purity.
Although just 2%, or 22 km, of the Yamuna, flows through Delhi, the national capital is responsible for 98% of the pollution in the river owing to untreated or semi-treated industrial effluents or sewage released into the river along the 22 km stretch.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) estimates that Delhi generates 3,800 million litres of sewage each day. According to the official, the NMCG is also investigating nonpoint sources of contamination in the Yamuna.
Mr Kumar went on to say that the NMCG is launching NGYodha (Namami Gange Yamuna of Delhi area), which would focus on cleaning up the Yamuna.