New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS): Delhi's Water Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday asked the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the Irrigation and Flood Control Board (IFCB) to expedite all ongoing projects related to the cleaning of the Yamuna river and install odour control systems at all the STPs.

The upgradation work for all the existing Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) is ongoing and also that of installation of biological odour control system to prevent emanating disease-causing bad odour and air pollution. The DJB already has odour control system at Delhi Gate STP. "Jain directed to install odour control units at all STPs," DJB's Chief Engineer V.K. Gupta told IANS.

Jain's directions came during a review meeting with senior officials of both the departments, a Delhi government release said here.

"Many say Yamuna cannot be cleaned but with devotion and hard work, any task can be achieved. All projects in this direction and even otherwise should be fast tracked and completed in a time-bound manner so that we can meet our ambition of a clean Yamuna as soon as possible," Jain said.

The minister also took stock of the work progress of new STPs as well as of the interventions being made for upgrading the existing ones. "All the work related to STPs, and their upgradation should be completed on a war footing so that we can double the capacity and efficiency of our STPs, which is crucial in cleaning the Yamuna," he added.

Meanwhile, the minister also said that in the first phase, floating aerators should be installed in drains which will not only help in-situ water treatment but will also eliminate the emanating pungent smell from the drains.

The minister said that these two projects (upgrading STPs and cleaning Yamuna) are vital for the overall betterment of the national capital.

"Various measures are being taken for cleaning the Yamuna and upgrading the existing infrastructure of STPs and drains for making them more efficient as well as for reducing pollution levels," he added.