Amit Shah reviews Yamuna revival: 129 STPs built, 59 more by 2027 — dairy waste to become biogas, not river pollution

A Home Ministry review sets an integrated plan for Delhi, Haryana and UP — MCD and NDDB to sign an MoU converting dairy effluent to biogas; 97% of targeted silt already lifted; BOD/COD/TSS monitoring mandated; 20-day review cycle.

What happened

• Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah chaired a high-level Yamuna rejuvenation review meeting in Delhi — attended by Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, LG Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Union Ministers of Housing (Manohar Lal) and Jal Shakti (CR Patil), and senior officials of all three states.
• A key announcement: an MoU between the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) will be signed to prevent waste from Delhi's dairies and gaushalas from entering the Yamuna — dung and effluent will instead be transported directly to biogas and manure plants under the NDDB model, and waste along Yamuna banks will be managed scientifically.
• On desilting: 97% of the targeted 28.57 lakh MT of silt has been removed from drains discharging into the Yamuna; the remainder will be cleared by June 15. Silt must be utilised in manufacturing projects rather than left to wash back into the river during monsoon rains.
• 129 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) have been completed across Delhi, Haryana and UP; 59 more STPs will be constructed by end of 2027. Continuous and accurate monitoring of BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand), COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) and TSS (Total Suspended Solids) was mandated across all STPs, industrial waste management systems and drain discharges — with 'precise results, not merely satisfactory performance' demanded.
• Construction of industrial CETPs (Common Effluent Treatment Plants) and dairy waste treatment plants must be done with future capacity in mind; detailed execution timelines for all Yamuna Rejuvenation projects must be fixed, with long-term maintenance arrangements.
• The Home Minister ordered a 20-day review cycle for the Yamuna Rejuvenation Project and emphasised that the three states must act as a team — through an integrated action plan — rather than in a fragmented, piecemeal manner.

For Prelims

• BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand): Amount of dissolved oxygen consumed by biological processes breaking down organic matter in water — a core measure of organic pollution. High BOD → low dissolved oxygen → death of aquatic organisms. CPCB target for Class C rivers (bathing quality): BOD <3 mg/L. Yamuna in Delhi often has BOD in the hundreds of mg/L.
• COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand): Measures total oxygen needed to chemically oxidise all organic and inorganic matter — captures pollutants (industrial chemicals, non-biodegradable matter) that BOD misses. COD consistently > BOD signals heavy industrial effluent load. Both are CPCB-monitored water-quality indices.
• TSS (Total Suspended Solids): Weight of all particles (silt, clay, algae, debris) suspended in a water sample — related to turbidity. High TSS reduces sunlight penetration (harming aquatic plants), smothers benthic organisms, and carries adsorbed pollutants. Often a proxy for construction and road runoff.
• STP (Sewage Treatment Plant): Treats domestic and urban sewage before discharge — removes BOD, pathogens and nutrients via physical, biological and chemical stages. India's cities lack sufficient STP capacity; the Yamuna carries untreated or partially treated sewage from all three upstream states. The 129 + 59 STP plan addresses this gap.
• CETP (Common Effluent Treatment Plant): A shared treatment facility for industrial clusters — more economical than per-unit plants. Essential for leather, dyeing, electroplating and dairy industrial clusters that discharge into Yamuna tributaries.
• NDDB (National Dairy Development Board): A statutory body (NDDB Act, 1987), headquartered in Anand, Gujarat; best known for Operation Flood (India's White Revolution). Here deployed for urban dairy-waste management (biogas model) — a novel non-dairy application of NDDB's cooperative and technical expertise.
• Ecological flow (e-flow): The quantity, timing and quality of water flows needed to sustain freshwater ecosystems and human uses downstream — mandated by the National Water Policy 2012. Yamuna's e-flow is severely compromised by upstream extractions, barrages and effluent load.
• Don't confuse: NDDB (National Dairy Development Board, dairy/cooperative body) is NOT NABARD (rural development finance), NCDC (cooperative development) or NHB (Horticulture Board). And STPs treat domestic sewage; CETPs treat industrial effluent — different sources, different technologies, different legal obligations.

For Mains

Syllabus: GS1.5 · GS3.12 · Linkage L2