Delhi Jal Board to appoint private consultant for financial reforms, Yamuna River revival

New Delhi, Aug 26 (PTI) The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) plans to hire a private strategic unit to carry out a study and chart out an overall roadmap for future reforms, officials said on Tuesday.

According to officials, the main focus areas will include the revival of the Yamuna River, increasing water tariffs, boosting water production, reducing financial losses, and improving sewage management.

"DJB plans to hire a Project Management Unit (PMU) consultant to provide end-to-end support in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of these reforms over the next 36 months. We have floated a tender to hire a company," an official said.

As per the plan, around 10 experts will be hired in fields such as groundwater, urban reform, IT, finance, and urban planning to break down key DJB programs into actionable workstreams with defined timelines and responsibilities, officials added.

One of the promises made by the BJP before coming to power was the cleaning of the Yamuna River. In the past six months, several announcements have also been made by the government in this direction. Presenting an action plan for the river will be one of the priorities of the new unit.

Currently, the DJB operates 17 water treatment plants (WTPs) and thousands of tubewells, which together produce around 1,000 million gallons per day (MGD) of water. There are also 37 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) across the city to process sewage.

"Arranging for the water needs of the ever-growing population and organising efficient collection and treatment of wastewater calls for extensive planning and use of modern digital tools," the tender stated.

Focusing on modernisation, the DJB also plans to establish an internal all-sector monitoring dashboard.

"Establish a common Information and Communications Technology (ICT) platform for project monitoring and asset management, with a real-time IT dashboard for all the workstreams, including projects running 24x7 and capable of disseminating real-time information," the project plan further stated.

To manage the city's groundwater more effectively, DJB also plans to conduct feasibility studies for improved groundwater recharge systems.

"The PMU will have to review the existing groundwater usage model of Delhi and design future needs," the tender added.

The DJB also plans to revise its water tariff. However, the specifics regarding the amount and timeline are yet to be decided. The matter was also discussed earlier this year in a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah. PTI SSM SSM HIG HIG