Residents of Delhi may well have to pay a green tax to save Yamuna if the Supreme Court decides to reverse its stay order of last October on the NGT decision for collection of a monthly environment compensation fee. While citizens may not have much of a problem with coughing up the tax—which will be in proportion to the property tax or water bill in authorised areas and between Rs 100-500 in the unauthorised—the most critical part is utilisation of funds. A 2007 CSE report points out that, despite spending over Rs 1,500 crore, Delhi’s sewage treatment plant (STP) capacity is 2,330 million litres per day (MLD), even as it generates 3,700 MLD. That too, with most STPs running in areas where there are no sewage issues, while many areas having acute sewage problems have no STPs.
A review of the interceptor plan, expected to cost Rs 3,500 crore, by CSE indicates that even this may not help restore the river water quality to class-C bathing quality as ordered by the apex court. The CSE analysis shows that while it takes R5-6 per 1,000 litres to supply clean water, the cost of taking back the sewage is R30-40 per 1,000 litres—clearly, the burden on the citizens is substantially lower than what the government spends. Instead of just accumulating more funds for saving the Yamuna, the state needs to come up with a credible action plan that includes handling of open drains and reducing water usage. Why provide 20,000 litre free water per month if the waste generated is almost 80-90% of the water consumption per capita?