Overview
- A late-October CSE audit finds that heavy spending since 2017 has not produced meaningful improvements in river quality.
- Delhi’s 22-kilometre stretch, about 2% of the Yamuna basin, contributes more than 80% of the river’s overall pollution load.
- Nearly 84% of the city’s pollution is traced to the Najafgarh and Shahdara drains, which continue to carry large volumes of untreated wastewater.
- CSE reports widespread non-compliance at sewage treatment plants and says the interceptor drain scheme has underperformed, with illegal tanker dumping adding to the burden.
- The report urges a shift to faecal sludge management, upgrades to STPs, reuse of treated water, rigorous monitoring, and sustained community participation.