Shah directs Jal Shakti Ministry to design SOP to clean Yamuna

Chairing a high level meeting on cleaning of Yamuna, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday directed the Jal Shakti Ministry to create a standard operation procedure (SOP) for all sewage treatment plants that should act as a yardstick for their quality, maintenance and discharge. He also suggested that the SOP should be shared with all other states.

Shah emphasised that any plan made for Yamuna, drinking water and drainage in the national capital, should be envisioned keeping in mind the next 20 years.

He also called upon the need to strengthen the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), which plays an important role in the cleaning of Yamuna, by filling up vacant posts immediately.

For water supply in Delhi, the DJB should strengthen the water distribution structure along with preventing leakage in the pipelines, Shah directed further during the meeting, which was attended by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal, Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan as well as Secretaries of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and Ministry of Jal Shakti, Delhi’s Chief Secretary and several other senior officials.

Shah underscored the need to enhance Delhi’s water distribution efficiency, stating that effective water management is essential to ensure drinking water supply across the city, official sources said.

He also underlined the need for using world-class technology for desilting drains.