By IANS
New Delhi : The Indian capital contributes 79 percent of pollutants flowing in the Yamuna and the 23-km stretch of the river in the city carries only wastewater during non-monsoon seasons.
“The volume of waste water generated from Delhi accounts for about 79 percent of the total wastewater generated from major towns located along the banks of river Yamuna,” Minister of State for Environment and Forests Namo Narayan. Meena told the Rajya Sabha Thursday.
Meena said the stretch of the river between Wazirabad and Okhla in Delhi is “among the most polluted stretches of major rivers across the country”.
“Due to large scale extraction of water from the river… the flow of river in Delhi stretch mainly comprises of the wastewater flow from the surrounding areas during non-monsoon period.
“The groundwater quality monitored by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) at selected locations of Delhi indicates that at Prahaladpur, the concentration of toxic metals exceeds the drinking water quality standards during the pre-monsoon period,” the minister revealed.
Meena said the central government and the Delhi government have taken a number of measures to reduce the pollution level in the Yamuna with help from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.
The government has so far approved Rs.13.39 billion under the Yamuna Action Plans-I and II to clean up the river but only Rs.7.19 billion has been spent.
“A total of 269 schemes have been implemented in 21 towns of three states of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana,” the minister informed.