DJB gears up for inauguration of Asia’s largest wastewater treatment plant in Okhla

The Delhi Jal Board is gearing up for the grand inauguration of its biggest 124 million gallons per day wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Okhla on September 30.

According to officials, the plan is to invite around 6,000 people to the inauguration ceremony along with Japanese dignitaries.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to be the chief guest. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Water Minister Parvesh Verma, among others, will also be present at the event, they added.

“This will not only be the biggest such facility in the country but also the largest plant in Asia. The preparations are being made to make this a grand event, the public will be invited from the nearby areas of South Delhi along with MLAs and other public representatives,” a DJB official said.

The Okhla WWTP is a joint venture between the Centre under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the Delhi government executed by DJB, started in 2019.

As the financial assistance for this project has been from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), dignitaries from Japan are also likely to be present at the ceremony, the officials added.

In the past, representatives of JICA, along with other members of the Japanese Parliament and Embassy of Japan officials, have visited the Okhla WWTP.

Spread across 40 acres and constructed at the cost of Rs 1,161.18 crores, including civil work, one year of defect liability, and 10 years of operation and maintenance costs, the project was completed in April this year and put under a trial run period. Initially there were four small sewage treatment plants, which were demolished to make way for the new plant.

The officials said, “85 per cent of the funds were contributed by the central government under the Yamuna Action Plan-III, the remainder were given by the Delhi government.”

Also Read: Over 23% unidentified bodies found in north Delhi in a month

The plant is designed with a power generation facility, and the sludge that will be produced after treatment of sewage will be of A-class, they said.

After starting in 2019 under the previous government, the plant hit hurdles like Covid pandemic restrictions and a construction ban, which led to delays. The first deadline to complete the work was 2022, which then shifted to 2024 and was finally completed in 2025.

Approximately 40 lakh people living in areas like Civil Lines, Paharganj, Walled City, Green Park, Hauz Khas, Lajpat Nagar, New Friends Colony, Chittaranjan Park, Okhla, Sarita Vihar, and nearby areas are to benefit from this plant.