UP directed to prepare Yamuna clean-up plan, complete projects by Jan 2028
UPSC / SSC current affairs note · Polity
Why in news
The Union home minister reviewed a status report on the Yamuna rejuvenation programme, directing Uttar Pradesh to prepare a time-bound action plan and complete all sewage treatment and pollution abatement projects on drains flowing towards the Yamuna by January 2028. The report also highlights UP's demand for its rightful share of Yamuna waters under the 1994 inter-state agreement.
Background
The Yamuna river is heavily polluted, especially in the Delhi stretch. The Centre's Yamuna rejuvenation programme involves multiple states (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh) and includes regular review meetings chaired by the Union home minister. A 1994 inter-state agreement governs water sharing among the five basin states.
Key facts
Uttar Pradesh has been directed to prepare a time-bound action plan and complete all sewage treatment and pollution abatement projects on drains flowing towards the Yamuna by January 2028.
Similar instructions have been issued to other states, including Delhi and Haryana.
The Union home minister and Union home secretary hold virtual meetings with chief secretaries almost every fortnight.
11 review meetings (5 chaired by Union home minister, 6 by Union home secretary) have generated 91 action points under the Yamuna rejuvenation programme; 44 completed, 47 under implementation.
The component preventing pollution from entering Delhi from Haryana and UP has made slowest progress: only 1 of 14 action points completed.
Five drains from UP (one from Ghaziabad, four from Loni Nagar Palika Parishad) discharge into Delhi's Shahdara drain, accounting for 40-45% of its flow before joining Yamuna.
The five primary drains receive wastewater from 286 secondary drains (232 domestic sewage, 54 industrial effluents), discharging around 205 million litres per day.
UP has complained it is not receiving its full allocated share of Yamuna waters from the Hathnikund Barrage under the 1994 inter-state agreement.
Prelims pointers
- Yamuna rejuvenation programme
- 1994 inter-state agreement on Yamuna water sharing
- Hathnikund Barrage
- Shahdara drain
- Ghaziabad and Loni (Uttar Pradesh)
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah
Mains angles
- Discuss the challenges in inter-state river pollution management with reference to the Yamuna clean-up.
- Critically examine the effectiveness of the Yamuna rejuvenation programme and the role of review mechanisms.
- Analyze the water sharing disputes among Yamuna basin states and their impact on pollution control efforts.