Asia's largest STP at Okhla fully functional Parvesh Verma

New Delhi, Apr 9 (PTI) Water Minister Parvesh Verma on Wednesday said Asia's largest waste water treatment facility at Okhla having treatment capacity of 564 MLD developed by Delhi Jal Board is now fully functional.
     The minister, who inspected the facility, said the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) will benefit approximately 40 lakh people living in areas of Old Delhi, Central Delhi, NDMC and South Delhi.
     "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are taking solid and decisive steps through state-of-the-art water treatment systems to make the Yamuna clean and free our city’s drains from sewage," said Verma.
     "Our mission is to transform Delhi into a clean, sustainable and responsible capital,” he added.
     The Okhla STP (Sewage Treatment Plant) project, a joint venture between the National Mission for Clean Ganga and Delhi Jal Board, began in 2017. Since June 2024, around 40 megalitres per day (MLD) of treated water from this facility is being used across various parts of Delhi for horticulture purposes.
     The government in a statement said "the plant generates 4.8 megawatt of green energy from sludge biogas, which fulfills around 50 per cent of its total energy requirements".
     "The Class-A quality sludge produced as a by-product is odorless, pathogen-free and safe to use as organic fertilizer or soil conditioner. This is the first plant in India to produce Class-A sludge," it added. 
     The government said the plant will also be helpful in cleaning of the Yamuna river as the treated water from the plant will be discharged back into the river.
     Around 132 MLD of sewage waste from the Barapullah and Maharani Bagh drains will also be treated through this plant before being released into the Yamuna, significantly reducing the flow of untreated sewage into the river, it added.
     "Currently, the treated water is being discharged into the Old Agra Canal. Soon, it will be diverted into the Yamuna River downstream of the Okhla Barrage via the Abul Fazal drain, and the construction work for the same is underway," the statement said. 

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)