New Delhi, July 13 (IANS) The water quality of the Yamuna river has not shown “desired improvement”, the government admitted Monday, despite spending Rs.872.15 crore since the Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) was launched in 1993.
Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh informed the Rajya Sabha: “The water quality of Yamuna has not shown the desired improvement owing to large gap between between the demand and availability of sewage treatment capacity and lack of fresh water in the river.”

Replying to a question by Bharatiya Janata Party member Ramdas Agarwal, Ramesh said: “Under the plan so far an expenditure of Rs.872.15 crore has been incurred and sewage treatment capacity of 753.25 million litres per day has been created.”

The minister added that for the river which runs through the national capital, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) “has prepared schemes for laying of interceptor sewers along three major drains namely Najafgarh, Shahdara and Supplementary, augmentation of sewage treatment capacity, interception of drains, rehabilitation of trunk sewers, laying of sewerage system in unsewered colonies and rural areas and desilting of peripheral/ internal sewers.

“As per information provided by DJB, these schemes are likely to be completed in a period of four years.”