Kejriwal Government to provide 25,000 households of East Delhi with 100% sewer connectivity for free
Free sewer connections to be provided under ‘Mukhyamantri Muft Sewer Connection Yojna’; Karawal Nagar & Mustafabad to benefit the most
Sewer connectivity in these colonies will prevent 2.5 crore litres of untreated waste from falling into Yamuna
New 25KM & 10KM sewer lines to be laid in Burari and Narela too, benefitting lakhs of residents
Delhi Government to install 30 RO plants in JJ colonies and bring freedom from the tanker system
Rithala STP to be comprehensively upgraded; 100 acre lake to be developed with the STP’s water
NEW DELHI:
The Kejriwal Government has chalked out a mega-plan to maximise the potential of the Delhi Jal Board through development of free sewer connections, new sewer lines and RO plants in the state. Under this plan, the Kejriwal Government will provide 25,000 households of East Delhi with 100% sewer connectivity for free. These free sewer connections will be provided under ‘Mukhyamantri Muft Sewer Connection Yojna’ and the regions of Karawal Nagar & Mustafabad will benefit the most out of it. Sewer connectivity in these colonies will prevent 2.5 crore litres of untreated waste from falling into the Yamuna. New 25KM & 10KM sewer lines will be laid in Burari and Narela too, benefitting lakhs of residents of the region. The Delhi Government will further install 30 RO plants in JJ clusters, and the existing tanker system will end soon.
Water Minister and DJB Chairman Shri Satyendar Jain chaired a board meeting with senior officials today and took major decisions pertaining to the government’s vision of a clean Yamuna by 2025 and to provide round-the-clock clean drinking water to the people of Delhi. These include the laying of new sewer lines, providing household sewer connections, upgrading existing STPs, providing RO water facilities in JJ cluster colonies, and improving the revenue management system of the Delhi Jal Board.
The board meeting focused on cleaning the Yamuna, which is the key potable water resource for Delhi and is crucial to ensure water security for the people of Delhi. To fulfil the same, the Board accorded approval to the following projects related to wastewater management in the national capital:
25,000 households to get free sewer connections
- A key decision taken in the board meeting was to provide sewer connections to individual houses of 12 colonies in East Delhi’s Karawal Nagar and Mustafabad constituencies. Around 25,000 households will be direct beneficiaries of this move and a budget of Rs 19 cr will be allocated for the same. This has been approved with the objective of including households that still don’t have sewer connections and keep on releasing their wastewater into open drains and public spaces rather than Delhi’s main sewage management system. After connecting these households to the already laid sewerage lines by Delhi Jal Board, the generated sewerage will be conveyed to the Yamuna Vihar STP for further treatment. This will help treat around 2.5 Cr litres of sewage before it is flown into the Yamuna, thereby facilitating the Kejriwal Government’s goal of cleaning the Yamuna by 2025.
Moreover, this will unleash a virtuous cycle of environmental and social benefits including improving the overall hygiene and health of those living nearby by preventing diseases caused by dirty wastewater and preventing the structural damage to the housing structures caused by the seepage of sewage. These 12 colonies where sewer connections will be given, are Chandu Nagar, Moonga Nagar, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Nehru Vihar, Old Mustafabad Gali No. 1-9, Mustafabad Extension Gali No. 10-27, Dayalpur Ext A,B,C,D,E and F Blocks, & adjoining areas of New Chauhanpur Village, Khajuri Khas Village LOP & adjoining areas (Khajuri Khas A-D Block), Khajuri Khas Ext E-Block, Khajuri Khas Ext E-Block (LOP, Khajuri Khas F-Block and Chand Bagh).
New sewer lines in Narela and Burari
- The board also approved the laying of sewer lines in Narela and Burari, with 10km and 25km of lines to be installed in these areas, respectively. The sewage from these sewer lines will be taken to their respective STPs, i.e., Narela STP and Coronation STP, to fulfill the ambitious target of wastewater collection and treatment in one of the largest areas of Delhi, i.e., Narela and Burari. Ten kilometers of sewer lines will be laid in Singhu Group of colonies, falling under the Narela STP catchment area, and twenty-five kilometers of sewer lines will be laid in Pradhan Enclave, falling under the Coronation STP catchment area. Presently, both these areas are unsewered and the generated sewage via drain is outfalling into the Yamuna river. Apart from this, sewage water in open areas causes a plethora of deadly diseases, including malaria, dengue, cholera, and typhoid. The completion of these lines will prevent the spread of such diseases and improve the health and hygiene standards of the area while preventing the direct outfall of sewage into the Yamuna. Around 15,000 residents of Narela and 41,000 residents of Burari will benefit from improved living conditions once the project is completed.
Rithala STP to be comprehensively upgraded
The Delhi Government has decided to Upgrade and comprehensively operate and maintain the 40 MGD Rithala sewage treatment plant (STP) on an unique financial model to reinforce quality. The BOD and TSS levels will also come down from 15 mg/L to 10 mg/L and 20 mg/L to 10 mg/L respectively, following the upgradation. The key feature of this unique financial model is that the Government will only have to pay Rs 24 Cr for the initial phase and the total amount of Rs 260 Cr will be paid as instalments in a period of 10 years. This will increase the transparency of the project by not handing over the entire investment in one go and using the allocated budget in a phased manner thus, ensuring that every single penny is used for the intended purpose. Moreover, This will ensure that there will be no financial burden on the DJB and that the accountability of the contractor is established by making it easier for the Government to keep a track of the operational costs. The Kejriwal Government has also planned to create a lake in 100 acres of land at Iradatnagar which will be fed from treated water of this STP. This will enable the recharge of groundwater via the lake and it would also serve as a recreational spot for those living nearby.
7MGD STP at Sonia Vihar and 12 MGD pumping station at Rajiv Nagar in the works
- Construction of a vertical 7 MGD STP at Sonia Vihar and a 12 MGD wastewater pumping station at Rajiv Nagar. Presently, 7MGD of sewage is generated from six unauthorised colonies in Sonia Vihar group of colonies under the Karawal Nagar constituency. This waste will be transported to WWTP through a pumping station for proper treatment. A unique feature of this multistoried STP is that it will be made in a record 6000 sq meter only. This project will benefit about 2.34 lakh people living in the area as their natural environment will be cleaned up. Public spaces will have no wastewater and foul smells will vanish, which will improve public health.
The rising population and demand for water, especially during the summer peaks, puts greater pressure on the limited water resources of Delhi. The Delhi Jal Board is at the forefront of controlling the pollution in the water and also ensuring optimum water supplies to the population. Keeping in view of the same, the Board also approved the following actions related to strengthening of water supply network:
6 MGD Ammonia Removal Okhla WTP
To cater to the long-standing issue of treating the increased ammonia in raw water being received from Haryana, the Board today approved the work of rehabilitating the existing non-functional water treatment plant into a 6 MGD water treatment plant to treat ammonia up to 10 ppm. The conventional water treatment plants could treat ammonia up to 0.5 ppm only. By utilising the 15 years old existing but defunct facilities at Okhla, the DJB has cut short its expenditure. This will solve the grave issue by treating the water coming into the Yamuna from Haryana which most of the time have very high ammonia content and the treatment plants often fail to treat the water to make it potable. The new 6 MGD ammonia removal plant at Okhla will not just relieve Delhi from potable water shortages but will also encourage them to use water judiciously.
30 RO plants to be installed to cater to the needs of JJ colonies
A key decision regarding the installation of 30 RO plants in JJ Colones in the first phase of the scheme was taken today. These plants will be functional 24×7 and will be equipped with 8-10 dispensing units in different locations to cater to a larger population in a hassle-free manner. The water will be completely free of cost to the public. Each RO Machine will have a capacity to dispense 50,000 liters of water every day and in case of high demand, the same machine can deliver up to 65,000 liters. RFID cards will be issued to the families that can be punched on the RO water dispenser which will then dispense volumes in the range of 10 liters and 20 liters as per demand. The RO plants will substitute the tankers which will help the residents circumvent the often tiring and time-consuming process of getting water from these tankers and eliminating the chances of social tensions. The availability of clean water will help in reducing the financial burden imposed on families due to diseases caused by unclean water.