India, July 17 -- The Delhi government is set to award contracts for all 29 decentralised sewage treatment plants (DSTPs) this month, marking a major step in its effort to increase sewage treatment capacity and reduce pollution flowing into the Yamuna. PWD and Water Minister Parvesh Verma told Millennium Post that the tendering process has been completed and the remaining contracts will soon be finalised. "Contracts for 13 decentralised sewage treatment plants have already been awarded, and the tendering process for all 29 projects has been completed. We are planning to award the remaining 16 contracts this month," he said.
The minister said projects that have already been awarded have completed the design stage and are awaiting final approvals before construction begins. "The designs for the awarded projects are ready. Once approved, work orders will be issued and construction will begin. Consultants have been appointed to monitor and facilitate the entire implementation process," Verma said. He added that the government expects the execution phase to be completed within 18 months. The DSTP project is a key component of the Delhi government's strategy to clean the Yamuna by treating sewage closer to where it is generated. Unlike conventional sewage treatment plants, which require extensive sewer networks to transport wastewater over long distances, decentralised plants are designed to serve clusters of nearby unauthorised colonies and localities where sewer infrastructure is either inadequate or absent.
Officials said the addition of all 29 DSTPs will create a combined treatment capacity of around 170 million gallons per day (MGD), helping prevent untreated sewage from entering drains that ultimately discharge into the Yamuna. The initiative also supports the broader target of increasing Delhi's overall sewage treatment capacity to 1,500 MGD by 2028, in line with directions issued by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a high-level review meeting on Yamuna rejuvenation in July last year. The project has witnessed several delays over the past decade, largely due to difficulties in securing land for construction. Initially proposed in 2015 by the previous Aam Aadmi Party government, the plan originally envisaged 48 decentralised treatment plants. The number was later revised to 40, then 34, and has now been rationalised to 29. Government officials, however, maintain that the reduced number of plants will not affect coverage, as the capacity of each proposed DSTP has been enhanced to serve a larger population. The Delhi government is targeting completion of all 29 decentralised sewage treatment plants by January 2028, while the associated sewer network is expected to be completed by June 2028, significantly strengthening the city's sewage management infrastructure and contributing to the long-pending goal of cleaning the Yamuna.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.