(HT)
Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday laid out an ambitious long-term roadmap for cleaning the Yamuna as senior leaders, including chief minister Rekha Gupta, gathered for a meeting at the North Block to discuss ways to rejuvenate the river and fix Delhi’s water supply woes.
Plans related to supply of drinking water and overhaul of the city’s sewage system should also be drawn out keeping in mind the next 20 years, the senior BJP leader said at the high-level meeting which was also attended by Union housing and urban affairs minister Manohar Lal and Union jal shakti minister CR Patil.
Shah said that Yamuna is not just a river but a symbol of faith, and its cleanliness is a priority of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. To begin with, Shah said, vacant posts of the Delhi Jal Board be filled immediately.
“Any plan we make regarding Yamuna, drinking water, and drainage in Delhi should be made with the next 20 years in mind… Delhi Jal Board (DJB) plays an important role in the cleaning of Yamuna so it is necessary to strengthen it and vacant posts in Delhi Jal Board should be filled immediately,” Shah said, while directing DJB to prevent leakage in pipelines for effective water management.
He also directed the Ministry of Jal Shakti to develop a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all sewage treatment plants, and establish standards for quality, maintenance, and discharge. The SOP should be also be shared with other states, he said.
The meeting took place over a month after PM Modi chaired a meeting with the Delhi CM and others on Yamuna rejuvenation and stressed on the need of public participation in the river’s cleaning, use of real-time data and space technology to track drain flows, regular assessment of sewage treatment plants.
The issue, along with drinking water supply, was key during the February 2025 assembly elections that saw the the BJP return to power. Since then, the Rekha Gupta-led Delhi government has announced a series of measures such as installation of sewage treatment plants and infrastructure worth ₹3,140 crore for cleaning the Yamuna.
Thursday’s meeting was attended by top officials from central and Delhi governments.
Gupta said the Delhi government and the Centre are gradually moving towards achieving their clean Yamuna goal.
“Sustained work is underway to ensure that Delhi gets a pollution-free and clean Yamuna. As part of this, a meeting was held today under the chairmanship of Union home minister Amit Shah,” the CM told reporters after the meeting.
