Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent high-level meeting on April 16, 2025, brought together key Union and Delhi government officials to address the critical challenges of cleaning and rejuvenating the Yamuna River, as well as resolving Delhi’s persistent drinking water issues. The meeting was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and senior bureaucrats, underscoring the urgency and importance of the issue.
During the session, a comprehensive presentation was made outlining an agency-wise action plan, which includes short-term, medium-term, and long-term strategies to tackle the river’s pollution. These strategies focus on drain management, solid and industrial waste management, sewage and septage treatment, improving wastewater infrastructure, floodplain protection, and the development of a green riverfront, all with clearly defined timelines to ensure accountability and progress.
The meeting also emphasized the integration of advanced technologies such as real-time data monitoring and space technology to track pollution sources and the effectiveness of sewage treatment plants. Public participation was highlighted as a cornerstone of the plan, with initiatives like the ‘Jan Bhagidari Movement’ aimed at fostering a people-river connection and encouraging community involvement in river rejuvenation efforts.
The government’s vision extends beyond mere pollution control, aiming to transform the Yamuna riverfront into a vibrant urban space with commercial, cultural, and recreational facilities, inspired by successful models like the Sabarmati Riverfront. By combining technological innovation, robust governance, and public engagement, the government hopes to restore the Yamuna’s ecological health and secure a reliable drinking water supply for millions in Delhi, marking a significant step forward in the city’s environmental and infrastructural development.
The Yamuna Crisis: From Sacred River to Polluted Drain
The Yamuna, once revered as a sacred river, has tragically transformed into a heavily polluted waterway, described by officials as a “polluted drain filled with filth and garbage.” Despite previous efforts, including an expenditure of Rs 8,500 crore under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, the river’s condition has not improved significantly. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had made cleaning the Yamuna a key electoral promise for the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, highlighting the failure of the previous administration and vowing to collaborate closely with the central government for a revival.
PM Modi’s Meeting: Key Participants and Agenda
The meeting at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, brought together key national and Delhi government leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and senior bureaucrats such as Principal Secretaries P. K. Mishra and Shaktikanta Das. The primary focus was to review and strategize an agency-wise, multi-phase action plan aimed at cleaning the Yamuna River and upgrading Delhi’s drinking water infrastructure. The action plan was structured with specific timelines: short-term activities to be completed within three months, medium-term goals spanning three months to one and a half years, and long-term objectives set for up to three years.
During the meeting, officials discussed a comprehensive set of interventions, including drain management, solid and industrial waste management, expansion and monitoring of sewage treatment infrastructure, floodplain protection, and the development of a green riverfront. The agenda also emphasized the integration of advanced technologies—such as real-time data collection and space technology—to monitor pollution sources and treatment plant performance. Public participation was highlighted as a crucial element, with the Prime Minister advocating for initiatives like the Jan Bhagidari Movement to foster a sense of community ownership over the river’s health and to enhance the cultural and social experience of festivals like Chhath Puja along the Yamuna.
The 7 Powerful Steps to Clean and Rejuvenate Yamuna
a. Agency-Wise Action Plan with Timelines
The government has devised a detailed action plan divided into short-term (3 months), medium-term (3 months to 1.5 years), and long-term (1.5 to 3 years) activities. These include:
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Drain management
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Sewage treatment and infrastructure expansion
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Solid waste and industrial waste management
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Floodplain protection and green riverfront development
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Public outreach and community engagement
b. Use of Advanced Technology and Real-Time Data
PM Modi emphasized harnessing the best available technology, including space technology and micro-level real-time data, to monitor drain flows, sewage treatment plants (STPs), and pollution levels. This data-driven approach aims to optimize the planning and implementation of pollution abatement infrastructure.
c. Development of Yamuna Riverfront
Inspired by the Sabarmati Riverfront model, the plan includes developing the Yamuna riverfront with 24×7 commercial establishments, entertainment facilities, interactive shows, and theatres to foster a vibrant public space along the riverbanks. This initiative aims to reconnect citizens with the river and promote sustainable urban development.
d. Establishment of Yamuna Kosh
A dedicated fund, the Yamuna Kosh, will be set up to finance the river’s revitalization efforts, ensuring sustained and focused investment in cleaning and rejuvenation projects.
e. Comprehensive Wastewater Treatment
The plan prioritizes the full treatment of wastewater from major drains such as Barapullah, Shahdara, and Ghazipur before it enters the Yamuna. This includes strict monitoring of existing STPs and constructing new decentralized STPs to close the treatment gap of approximately 400 million gallons per day (MGD).
f. Floodplain Protection and Green Spaces
Protecting the river’s floodplains and developing green spaces along the banks are integral to the plan. These measures will help restore the ecological balance, prevent encroachments, and enhance the river’s natural flow.
g. Public Participation and Cultural Integration
PM Modi stressed the importance of creating a strong emotional and cultural connection between the people and the Yamuna. He proposed launching a ‘Jan Bhagidari’ (public participation) movement, enlisting volunteers for river rejuvenation, and integrating cultural events such as the Braj Yatra and Chhath Puja celebrations to foster community ownership.
Addressing Delhi’s Drinking Water Challenges
Alongside the intensified river cleaning efforts, the meeting led by Prime Minister Modi placed a strong emphasis on rehabilitating and modernizing Delhi’s water infrastructure to address chronic issues of leakages, non-revenue water, and supply inefficiencies. The government has committed a substantial allocation of ₹9,000 crore towards improving sanitation, expanding access to clean drinking water, and upgrading the water supply network.
This includes replacing open canals from Haryana with pipelines to minimize water loss, installing intelligent metering and automation systems for better monitoring, and constructing new borewells and rainwater harvesting structures to supplement groundwater resources. The city’s water demand stands at 1,290 million gallons per day (MGD), while the current supply is only 1,000 MGD, making these investments crucial for bridging the gap and ensuring reliable supply, especially during peak summer months.
A holistic Urban River Management Plan is being developed to integrate water resource management with Delhi’s broader urban planning framework, ensuring sustainability for the city’s growing population. This master plan includes long-term measures such as upgrading pipelines, expanding water treatment capacity to 1,500 MGD, constructing additional underground reservoirs, and reducing non-revenue water from 58% to 20%. The government also aims to automate distribution with Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, introduce GPS tracking for water tankers, and revive water bodies across the city. These comprehensive reforms are designed to replace crisis-driven responses with systemic solutions, promising a future of clean, uninterrupted water supply and improved living standards for Delhi’s residents.
Political Context and Public Expectations
The Yamuna cleaning initiative has emerged as a significant political flashpoint between the BJP and AAP, deeply influencing the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections and shaping public discourse on environmental governance. The BJP capitalized on widespread dissatisfaction with the AAP government’s failure to deliver tangible improvements in the river’s condition despite substantial spending. During the election campaign, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP-ruled Haryana government of deliberately “poisoning” the Yamuna with ammonia-contaminated water to harm Delhi’s population.
This allegation sparked a major controversy, with the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi vehemently rejecting the claim, framing it as an insult to Haryana and its people. Modi’s counter-narrative, questioning whether Haryana’s residents would harm water consumed by their own families, resonated strongly with voters, particularly those of Haryanvi origin living in Delhi, and helped consolidate BJP’s voter base. This controversy contributed to the BJP flipping nine seats in the Yamuna belt and significantly reducing AAP’s overall tally from 62 to 22 seats, marking a dramatic political shift.
The BJP’s campaign also emphasized a concrete vision for the Yamuna’s revival, promising a dedicated ‘Yamuna Kosh’ fund and a Sabarmati-style riverfront development to transform the polluted riverbanks into eco-friendly urban spaces. This approach allowed the BJP to position itself as both a protector of Haryana’s honour and a party with actionable plans for environmental restoration, contrasting with AAP’s perceived blame-shifting and unfulfilled promises. Meanwhile, the AAP faced criticism for its decade-long failure to clean the river, with environmental activists and opposition parties highlighting the persistent pollution levels and inadequate sewage treatment infrastructure under its governance.
The Delhi Congress also accused the BJP government of delaying implementation of its own promises post-election, calling for genuine focus on cleaning the Yamuna rather than political gimmicks. As the BJP government begins its tenure with a strong mandate, its performance on the Yamuna cleanup and water management will be closely scrutinized by the public, opposition parties, and environmental watchdogs alike.
Conclusion: A Critical Juncture for Yamuna and Delhi’s Water Future
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s chairing of this high-profile meeting signals a renewed and robust commitment from the central and Delhi governments to tackle the Yamuna’s pollution crisis and Delhi’s drinking water woes. The comprehensive, technology-driven, and community-inclusive approach outlined in the meeting offers hope for a cleaner Yamuna and better water quality in the national capital. However, the success of these ambitious plans will depend on seamless coordination among multiple agencies, sustained funding, and active public participation over the next three years.
Follow: Press Information Bureau
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