New Delhi: Even as untreated sewage continues to choke Yamuna, Delhi’s treatment plants, some operated by private organisations and most by Delhi Jal Board (DJB), seem to be getting away lightly as penalties imposed on them remain largely unrecovered.
An RTI disclosure has revealed that Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) imposed nearly Rs 49.7 crore in environmental compensation on sewage treatment plants (STPs) and common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) in the past six years, but managed to recover just Rs 3 lakh. The 16-page findings in Sept flagged 249 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage remaining outside Delhi’s treatment system, 12 of 22 sewage drains remaining untapped and 16.5 lakh households still lacking sewer connections. It also questioned DJB’s claim of 91.5% STP utilisation, noting that a water-quality analysis showed high biochemical oxygen demand, zero dissolved oxygen and alarmingly high faecal coliform levels.
The figures acquire significance against the backdrop of findings submitted by NGT-appointed amici curiae, about which TOI reported earlier.
Yet these RTI figures show how deep and systemic the crisis is,” Gupta said, adding that merely imposing fines on paper will not revive Yamuna unless those running these treatment plants are held strictly accountable. “STPs and CETPs are supposed to be Delhi’s primary line of defence to clean wastewater and industrial effluent before they enter the river. The report suggested that underperformance of commissioned STPs, illegal discharge bypassing treatment systems and untapped drains could explain the continuing riverine pollution.