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Delhi's Yamuna Budget: More Embankment, Less River Focus
25 Mar
Summary
- New Delhi budget overlooks previous Yamuna clean-up agenda.
- Focus shifts to peripheral development and flood protection walls.
- Government prioritizes sewage treatment plant capacity increase.
A year after the Delhi government designated Yamuna clean-up as a key environmental agenda with significant budget allocation for 2025-26, the issue received minimal attention in the recent budget presented on Tuesday. The primary focus has shifted to the river's periphery.
Allocations include ₹300 crore for the Trans-Yamuna Development Board, development of cycle tracks along the riverbank, and the construction of a flood protection wall from the Old Railway Bridge to Majnu Ka Tilla. This wall is described as an "impenetrable shield" for Delhi.
The government's core objective remains enhancing the capacity of sewage treatment plants (STPs). Despite laying 180 kilometers of new sewer lines and replacing 110 kilometers last year, the emphasis is now on doubling current treatment capacity.
This approach contrasts with the ambitious 2025-26 roadmap, which proposed 40 decentralised sewage treatment plants (DSTPs) and significant funding for modern cleaning machinery and drain interception. The current budget reflects a divergence from that comprehensive plan.
