As part of a renewed push to clean the Yamuna, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has commissioned a private consultancy to prepare the Sewage Master Plan (SMP) 2043 framework at a cost of ₹10 crore, an official source told The Hindu.
The plan, expected to be framed in 15 months, aims to eliminate untreated sewage discharge into the Delhi stretch of the Yamuna river.
"The consultant was awarded the work earlier this month following a tender floated by the DJB. The SMP 2043 will help the government to understand gaps in the current sewage network and also give a road map on what is needed in the next 20 years in terms of infrastructure," the source said, adding that the firm will conduct aerial and on-ground surveys, carry out gap analyses using artificial intelligence, and review the existing 2031 master plan.
As per the tender document, the SMP-cum-Sewerage Improvement Scheme (SIS) is a long-term, integrated planning framework that will guide the rehabilitation, augmentation, and future expansion of sewerage infrastructure across Delhi.
"The SIS will be supported by detailed technical assessments, institutional analysis, and future demand projections. It will define a phased and prioritised road map to achieve universal sewerage connectivity and zero untreated discharge, while embedding principles of climate resilience, sustainability, and digital transformation," reads the document.
Pollution of the Yamuna was a core political issue in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly election in February this year. The election saw the Bharatiya Janata Party, which promised to clean the river, return to power in the national capital after 27 years.
Every year, during the monsoon, water quality improves with floodwaters flushing out pollutants, only to return to high levels of pollution months later.
The level of Faecal Coliform (microbes from human and animal excreta) in the river, where it leaves Delhi, reaches as high as - 9,600 times the permissible level - even for bathing standards, according to official figures.