After two decades and over ₹2,454 crore invested, Delhi's Interceptor Sewage Project (ISP) has failed to curb untreated sewage flow into the Yamuna. A Centre-ordered inspection found the project stopped only 60% of the sewage volume claimed by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).
The ambitious project, launched in 2006, aimed to divert raw sewage to treatment plants. However, a DPCC report found large-scale discrepancies in DJB's performance data. While DJB claimed to have tapped and diverted 238 MGD of sewage, only 142 MGD had been halted.
More than 117 MGD of untreated waste still flows into the Yamuna from drains the board declared 'completed.' The updated flow of sewage in smaller drains has risen to 260 MGD. Out of 109 'interceptor points' inspected, flow was successfully diverted at only 56 points.
The inspection also found serious lapses in monitoring, including non-functional flow meters and CCTV cameras. DJB's claimed sewage pumping capacity was also found to be overstated.
