The Delhi Government has approved a budget of ₹9000 crore for the cleaning of the Yamuna River. 14 departments will work together under the Dutch Model. ₹1500 crore has been allocated for sewage treatment and an additional ₹2000 crore has been requested from the Central Government.
Yamuna River: New schemes are being initiated in Delhi for the cleaning and conservation of the Yamuna River. A provision of ₹9000 crore has been made in the budget for the year 2025-26 for this purpose. Out of this, ₹1500 crore will be spent on sewage treatment and related infrastructure. Additionally, an extra ₹2000 crore has been requested from the Central Government. For the cleaning of the Yamuna, India, in collaboration with the Netherlands, has adopted a special strategy called the 'Dutch Model'. Under this scheme, the responsibility of 14 departments and agencies has been fixed to make the river cleaning effective.
New Initiative by the Government for the Cleaning of the Yamuna
After the formation of the BJP government in Delhi, serious efforts have been started to improve the condition of the Yamuna River. The state government has made a provision of ₹9000 crore in the 2025-26 budget. Out of this, ₹1500 crore will be spent on the improvement of sewage treatment plants and pipelines. Apart from this, additional assistance of ₹2000 crore has been sought from the Central Government for the conservation of the Yamuna in the National Capital Region.
The government has formulated a comprehensive strategy for river cleaning under the 'Urban River Management Plan', a new scheme of the 'River City Alliance'. This plan considers that improving the condition of the Yamuna is not possible without solving the city's problems. Therefore, the development and pollution control of Delhi have been made an important link in the Yamuna cleaning.
14 Departments and Agencies will Work Together
To clean the Yamuna, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), in collaboration with experts from the Netherlands, has defined the roles of a total of 14 departments and agencies, including the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and IIT Delhi. The aim of this alliance is to ensure long-term ownership and institutional capacity.
Several institutions, including the Delhi Jal Board, Delhi Development Authority, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Central Pollution Control Board, and Delhi Pollution Control Committee, are involved in this effort. All have pledged to improve the water quality of the Yamuna River and make the area around the river pollution-free.
What is the Dutch Model?
A large part of the Netherlands is below sea level, and about 60 percent of the land there is subject to tidal flooding. To prevent this, the Netherlands has adopted the 'Dutch Policy of Water Lifting'. This policy considers water not just as a resource but as a strategic tool.
This policy emphasizes promoting sustainable development, climate adaptation, and social equity. It includes solutions to complex problems like floods, pollution, and water crises. In the Dutch Model, along with water management, local people are also made active partners in it.
According to Dutch expert Henk Ovink, it is necessary to understand the power of water and its connecting capacity and use it properly. In a country like India, where water is worshiped as a deity and rivers as goddesses, this model is an innovative effort to maintain the sanctity of rivers.
History of India-Netherlands Strategic Partnership
The strategic partnership between India and the Netherlands for water conservation began in 2015 when the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, visited India. After this, in 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Netherlands, and a bilateral water partnership was agreed upon.
Under this partnership, projects like 'Dutch Indo Water Alliance' in Vadodara and 'Local Treatment of Urban Sewage Streams for Healthy Reuse' (LOTUS) in Delhi were started. This agreement was formally signed in 2022 after a virtual meeting between the Prime Ministers of both countries in April 2021.
