Yamuna’s Lifeline: Three-State Push to Revive the River

In a recent meeting on the rejuvenation of the Yamuna, the Centre directed Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to increase environmental flows, intercept drains, and strengthen controls on industrial effluents entering the river.

According to a senior government official, three projects aimed at boosting environmental flow in the upstream stretch of the Yamuna were discussed. One proposal involves diverting nearly 800 cusecs of water from the Upper Ganga Canal in Uttar Pradesh to the Wazirabad barrage to help maintain the river’s ecological balance. Another project seeks to add 100 cusecs from Haryana’s Munak Canal, while a third proposes constructing an additional channel from the Hathnikund barrage to reduce silt and waste accumulation.

The Centre is also focusing on improving wastewater quality from sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, with a third-party audit to assess treatment outputs. Under Delhi’s Sewerage Improvement Scheme, treatment capacity will be enhanced, while Haryana has been asked to regulate drains by 2026 and establish additional common effluent treatment plants to curb industrial pollution.

“Once the upgrade work is completed, the STPs will be able to discharge treated water in accordance with government standards and also increase their overall treatment capacity,” the official said.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.