Addressing Delhi’s unabated water pollution crisis, visibly marked each winter by frothing in the Yamuna, experts from The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) on Tuesday urged the state government to set up decentralised effluent treatment plants and strengthen enforcement against illegal discharges and non-compliant units.
Officials in the Environment Department said the recommendations also included creating real-time dashboards to track pollution levels and compliance. To improve the quality of the river, experts further called for stronger plastic and solid waste management, along with regular health surveys in vulnerable communities that face a high risk of water-borne diseases from drinking or bathing in the contaminated stretches of the Yamuna flowing through the city.
Experts made the policy suggestions after conducting a comprehensive study on microplastics and frothing in the Yamuna river across 50 critical locations across the Delhi stretch. Through a close analysis of 100 water samples, the study identified hotspots along the river’s flow in Delhi where untreated sewage, industrial effluents and solid waste are contributing to frothing, chemical contamination and microplastic load.
Acknowledging the report compiled by TERI scientists and interventions, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, “The findings shared by TERI give us a roadmap to tackle microplastics, frothing and other pollutants by acting simultaneously on sewage, industries, solid waste and citizen behaviour.”
He further added that the Delhi Government will assess and implement suitable recommendations to bring measurable improvements in the Yamuna’s water quality.
Scientists presented these solutions at a meeting convened by the Environment Department, where they briefed the Environment Minister and senior officials from the Environment, Industries, Health and Water departments on river water quality, including levels of surfactants, organic pollution, ammonia and microplastics detected in several drains and industrial clusters.