Thu May 22 21:30:00 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level meeting focused on cleaning the Yamuna River, improving Delhi’s drinking water supply, and overhauling its sewage system. He stressed the river’s symbolic and religious importance and pushed for a long-term, holistic strategy. Key directives included developing SOPs for sewage treatment plants to ensure consistent quality, planning with a 20-year outlook, filling vacancies and bolstering the Delhi Jal Board, improving water distribution efficiency, and utilizing advanced desilting technologies. The meeting took place against the backdrop of persistently high pollution levels in the Delhi stretch of the Yamuna, a broken promise of previous governments to fix.

**News Article:**

**Shah Pushes for 20-Year Plan to Revitalize Yamuna and Delhi’s Water Infrastructure**

**New Delhi, May 23, 2025** – Union Home Minister Amit Shah convened a high-level meeting on Thursday, May 22nd, to address the critical issue of cleaning the Yamuna River, securing safe drinking water, and upgrading Delhi’s sewage and drainage systems. Emphasizing the Yamuna’s cultural and religious significance, Shah underscored the BJP government’s commitment to its revitalization.

During the meeting, attended by Union Ministers Manohar Lal Khattar and C.R. Patil, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and other senior officials, Shah directed the Ministry of Jal Shakti to establish Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). These SOPs aim to standardize quality, maintenance, and discharge practices across all facilities, with the intent of broader implementation across states.

Shah stressed the importance of long-term planning, advocating for a 20-year vision for all projects related to the Yamuna, drinking water, and drainage. Recognizing the Delhi Jal Board’s (DJB) vital role, he urged immediate action to fill vacant positions and strengthen the institution’s capabilities. Improvements to water distribution efficiency, reductions in pipeline leakages, and the use of advanced desilting technologies were also highlighted as crucial components of the comprehensive plan.

The Delhi stretch of the Yamuna remains heavily polluted, consistently failing to meet even basic bathing standards. A recent report by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee revealed alarmingly high levels of faecal coliform, exceeding safe limits by thousands of times at the river’s exit point from Delhi.

Cleaning the Yamuna was a prominent promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the lead-up to the Delhi Assembly election.

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