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In view of rising ammonia levels in the Yamuna River, Delhi Water Minister Atishi on Thursday wrote to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, instructing him to file a status report on the setting up of an ammonia treatment plant in Wazirabad.
Blaming Jal Board officials for not implementing the decisions that were made in a meeting that was chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in March, Atishi noted," This project was supposed to be implemented within 4-6 months. The Chief Secretary was himself present in the meeting. Despite this, the project is yet to take off, plunging a significant part of Delhi into water crises yet again." "If decisions taken in high-level meetings chaired by the Chief Minister, Ministers-in-charge and Chief Secretary are not implemented, then it raises serious questions about the government's working machinery. This should not be tolerated because non-implementation of such key projects adversely impacts the lives of lakhs," she added. Atishi, who is also the chairperson of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), further stated that the rising levels of ammonia in the Yamuna River have now become a recurring problem that occurs every year, impacting the lives of lakhs of people living in the national capital. "Effluents released by Haryana coupled with the non-maintenance of the ecological flow of the river by Haryana are the major reasons behind the rise in ammonia in Delhi. However, no effective steps have been taken to resolve this persistent crisis," Atishi noted. Atishi has directed the Chief Secretary to ensure that the tender for this project is floated by January 15th and that he will personally monitor the swift implementation of this project. "Put up a report by January 1, 2024, as to why there has been such a serious delay in setting up the in-situ ammonia treatment plant at Wazirabad Pond. Submit a timeline by Jan 1, 2024, as to when the in-situ ammonia treatment plant will be functional and personally monitor the swift implementation of this project. Ensure that the tender for the in-situ ammonia treatment plant gets floated, latest by January 15," the Minister noted in her letter. Earlier on Wednesday, the ammonia levels in the Yamuna River touched 2.8 ppm. The increased levels of ammonia impacted the production capacity of water treatment plants at Chandrawal and Wazirabad. Due to this, the water supply has been impacted in several parts of the national capital. (ANI)
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