New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) With the larger objective of rejuvenation of the Yamuna, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta approved a series of ambitious projects worth over Rs 1,000 crore to strengthen the city’s water management, sewage treatment and water supply systems.

She said the Delhi Government is working in mission mode for the rejuvenation of the Yamuna River and the cleaning of the Najafgarh Drain.

The Chief Minister said that the government’s priority is to provide better facilities to every citizen and transform Delhi into a clean, green and water-secure capital.

She said that approval has been granted for the installation of 12 new Decentralised Sewage Treatment Plants (DSTPs) in the Najafgarh region.

These plants, to be developed under the Central Government’s AMRUT scheme at an estimated cost of around Rs 860 crore, will have a combined treatment capacity of 46.5 MGD.

A 17 MGD DSTP will be set up at Mitraon. In addition, four DSTPs will be established at Kair, Kanganheri, Kakrola and Dichaon Kalan, three DSTPs at Galibpur, Sarangpur and Shikarpur, and four DSTPs at Hasanpur, Jaffarpur, Kazipur and Khera Dabar.

These projects will benefit more than 121 unauthorised colonies, 35 villages and nearly seven lakh people. They will also prevent untreated sewage from entering the Najafgarh Drain, thereby supporting Yamuna rejuvenation and environmental protection.

Chief Minister Gupta announced that Phase I of the Keshopur Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) will be upgraded and its capacity expanded from 12 MGD to 18 MGD.

The project, estimated to cost around Rs 122 crore, will ensure that the quality of treated water meets the latest prescribed standards.

She said the project will also include an 11-year operation and maintenance (O&M) component. This is expected to promote the use of recycled water and strengthen water conservation efforts.

The Chief Minister said that, with a view to improving groundwater levels and strengthening water security, the government has decided to promote rainwater harvesting.

The Delhi Jal Board will undertake the construction of new rainwater harvesting structures and the restoration of existing ones on behalf of various departments.

Chief Minister Gupta said that a major trunk sewer line from Amichand Chowk to the Old Kalyanpuri Sewage Pumping Station in the Trilokpuri Assembly constituency will be rehabilitated at a cost of nearly Rs 57 crore.

The sewer line is more than 40 years old and has witnessed several cave-ins and technical issues in recent years, she said.

She said a new Underground Reservoir (UGR) with a capacity of 0.72 MGD, along with a Booster Pumping Station, will be established in Rohtas Nagar in the Shahdara Assembly constituency. The project, estimated to cost around Rs 27 crore, will strengthen the local water supply system.

–IANS

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