All households in areas having sewer system to be linked to network by June 2022: Delhi Jal Board

(Image: AFP)

Water Minister and Delhi Jal Board (DJB) Chairman Satyendar Jain on Thursday said all households in areas having a sewer system will be connected to the network by June 2022 to prevent the discharge of wastewater into nearby drains and the Yamuna river. The project will be executed by the DJB under the Mukhyamantri Sewer Connection Yojana, Jain said.

"All households in sewered areas will be connected to the sewer network by June 2022. This will divert all the wastewater from the stormwater drain into the STPs (sewage treatment plants)," a DJB statement quoted the minister as saying. The minister directed officials to complete the project within six months so that wastewater can be diverted to sewage treatment plants for treatment and only clean water flows into the river.

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The DJB will use the latest technology like cutter machines, pre-cast structures and high-density polyethylene pipelines to complete the project in one-third time, Jain said. The minister said all the points where the sewer line is connected to stormwater drains will be disconnected by March 31, 2022 so that the wastewater does not flow through rainwater drains.

DJB officials have been instructed to survey and create a list of all the old and new points where sewer lines are connected to stormwater drains within one month. It has also been decided that all the broken pipelines or sewer lines will be replaced so that leakage can be minimised.

"All the water pipelines must be monitored thoroughly so that leakages can be minimised and fixed accordingly. All the manhole covers that are broken or in need of repair must be fixed and replaced, the minister said. All sewer leakages, blockage, and overflow must be assessed accordingly. All problems regarding sewage treatment must be monitored on a priority basis, he added.

Officials have been directed to complete the ongoing work of desilting 200 km of trunk sewer lines before the 2022 monsoon season. The minister also asked officials to resolve water contamination problems on war footing.

Jain instructed them to use the latest technology based on cutting machines for laying pipelines. Currently, the DJB uses an outdated excavation method which causes collateral damage on the site and takes time for repairs, the statement said.