Delhi HC Directs NMCG to Review DJB Plan for 13 Sewage Treatment Plants
The Delhi High Court has directed the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) to review a proposal submitted by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to establish 13 new decentralised sewage treatment plants (DSTPs) to prevent untreated sewage from entering the Yamuna.
The direction was issued on August 24 by a Bench comprising Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora during proceedings on pollution prevention measures for the river. The order came after court-appointed local commissioners monitoring the condition of the Yamuna reported that only a portion of the city's sewage is currently being treated, leaving untreated waste to continuously discharge into the water.
The Bench noted that several critical issues regarding sewage treatment infrastructure require immediate attention. These include upgrading and augmenting existing plants, constructing new facilities, and preventing treated effluent from remixing with untreated sewage before reaching the river.
The court was informed that detailed project reports for the 13 proposed DSTPs have been drafted and submitted to the Namami Gange Project Authority. Following this submission, the High Court directed the Director General of the NMCG to formally examine the proposal.
According to submissions made by the local commissioners and counsel for the DJB, 28 operational sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Delhi are meeting the National Green Tribunal's prescribed 10/10 standards. Another nine operational plants are running at a 30/50 standard and must be upgraded to the 10/10 benchmark, with completion deadlines set between December 2027 and May 2028.
The court was also told that a treatment capacity deficit of approximately 132 million gallons per day (MGD) remains to be addressed, with the DJB currently conducting a gap analysis. As of August 24, 2026, operational STPs across the city have a combined capacity of 814.26 MGD. The DJB aims to expand total treatment capacity to 1,041.10 MGD by December 31, 2027.
In outer areas of Delhi, the DJB has awarded contracts for 28 DSTPs, while work for an additional unit is in the tendering phase. The targeted completion date for these outer area plants is January 2028.
The High Court also addressed concerns that treated water is frequently discharged back into untreated channels. Ordering that dedicated drainage be laid for newly planned facilities, the court directed the DJB to give top priority to this requirement when issuing tenders and overseeing construction.
