Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday, October 22 inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 43 Delhi Jal Board projects worth Rs 8,941.22 crore — yaani about Rs 89.41 billion — aimed at cleaning the Yamuna and strengthening Delhi's drinking water and sewage systems, ANI reported from the event in Dwarka.

Source: ANI via Devdiscourse

Ten projects worth Rs 2,827.11 crore were inaugurated and foundation stones were laid for 33 others worth Rs 6,114.11 crore, according to the details announced earlier by Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh and reported by ANI.

Source: ANI via Latestly

The package includes a new 124 MGD sewage treatment plant at Okhla built at an estimated Rs 1,161 crore, the upgrade of eight existing sewage treatment plants for Rs 1,041 crore to raise their combined capacity from 78.2 MGD to 140.8 MGD, and 29 decentralised sewage treatment plants and pumping stations in Outer Delhi, according to the project breakdown reported by Urban Acres.

It also includes a 1,034-km sewer network estimated at Rs 1,691 crore, meant to benefit around 25.82 lakh people, and works intended to stop untreated sewage reaching the river. Shah said the projects would serve as the backbone for the comprehensive rejuvenation of the Yamuna, and said more than 40 per cent of the journey toward that goal had already been covered, ANI reported.

Rs 8,941 croretotal value of 43 projects
43Delhi Jal Board projects launched
124 MGDnew Okhla sewage treatment plant
1,034 kmnew sewer network planned

The launch followed the 'Chalo Yamuna' campaign on October 18, in which more than 35,000 people cleaned 70 locations along the riverbanks and removed 76,755 kg of waste in one morning, according to the Delhi Water Minister.