Home / Environment / Yamuna Frothing: TERI Report Contradicts Delhi Jal Board Claims
Yamuna Frothing: TERI Report Contradicts Delhi Jal Board Claims
4 Jan
Summary
- TERI report shows ammonia levels 27.4-30.6 mg/l, DJB claims max 5 mg/l.
- Water with over 0.95-1 mg/l ammonia is untreatable for drinking.
- Report discrepancies raise questions on DJB's monitoring and public safety.
A recent report by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), officially accepted by the Delhi government, has exposed critical disparities in the monitoring of the Yamuna River's water quality. The report, released in December 2025, documented ammonia levels as high as 30.6 mg/l downstream of Wazirabad on December 17, 2024, a period when the city experienced an ammonia spike. This finding directly contradicts the Delhi Jal Board's (DJB) official data for the same month, which claimed a maximum ammonia concentration of only 5 mg/l in similar locations.
These stark differences are alarming because water containing more than 0.95 to 1 mg/l of ammonia is considered untreatable for drinking. The TERI report also indicated high ammonia levels at various sewage and effluent treatment plants and drains throughout 2024 and 2025, differing from DJB's official claims. These discrepancies have fueled speculation about the reliability of DJB's water quality testing mechanisms and why such crucial data is not routinely made public.
DJB officials acknowledged that ammonia levels can fluctuate significantly, sometimes reaching 50 ppm, and stated that they adjust by taking water from alternative sources like the Haiderpur plant when levels are critically high. However, concerns persist regarding the transparency of water quality data and whether residents were supplied with contaminated water. Activists are calling for public disclosure of drinking water parameters, currently only obtainable through the Right to Information Act.
