CHANDIGARH, July 5 — In a significant move to tackle rising pollution levels in the Yamuna River, the Haryana Government has constituted a high-level committee to oversee water quality in 11 major drains flowing into the river. The decision follows a warning issued by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti in May, which flagged some stretches of the Yamuna as among the most polluted in the country.
The committee will be chaired by the Chairman of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) and will include senior officials from multiple departments, including Public Health Engineering, Irrigation, Urban Local Bodies, Panchayati Raj, and the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC).
Officials said the panel will conduct monthly monitoring of water quality parameters in both the drains and the river. “A comparative monthly chart should be maintained to assess improvement in water quality,” directed Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, who chaired the recent River Rejuvenation Committee (RRC) meeting where the move was finalised.
According to the HSPCB’s action plan, several drains have shown deteriorating trends in Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) from 2022 to 2025 — a key indicator of organic pollution. The most affected include Panipat Drain, Sonepat’s Drain No. 6, Ditch Drain, and Budhiya Nala’s three branches.
The committee’s responsibilities will include ensuring the treatment of wastewater from these 11 key drains, tracking the progress of new, upgraded, and proposed Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), and monitoring the completion of sewerage networks in towns under the Yamuna catchment. It will also oversee the installation of wastewater treatment systems in villages along the river.
A key concern flagged by the HSPCB is the unchecked pollution from nearly 3,000 water-polluting industrial units operating in the state. Many of these units have non-functional Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs), the board reported. “There has been no significant improvement in water quality in most drains,” said a senior official.
In response, Chief Secretary Rastogi has directed the HSPCB to issue notices under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. He further mandated the installation of separate, sealed energy meters on ETPs and STPs, monitored in the presence of Power Department officials.
“Each industry shall maintain a separate logbook showing daily electricity consumption for these plants, and the data shall be submitted to HSPCB every 15 days,” Rastogi said.
To ensure compliance, the Chief Secretary instructed the HSPCB Chairman and Member Secretary to personally verify the operational status of ETPs and monitor energy usage data. The state government hopes the new measures will enforce accountability and curb industrial discharge into the Yamuna.
