The Government of India has approved two new projects at a cost of Rs 217.87 crore in Sonepat and Panipat towns for reducing the pollution of river Yamuna. The MoS for Water Resources Sanwar Lal Jat said that the project include construction of new sewage treatment plants (STPs) of 70 million litres per day (mld) capacity and rehabilitation of existing STPs of 75 mld capacity. The works are being implemented by Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Haryana.

Tidbits

• Yamuna is the largest tributary river of Ganga. It is also known as Jamuna.
• The river originates from Yamunotri Glacier at a height of 6,387 metres.
• The river travels a total of 1376 kilometers crossing several northern states in India including Uttrakhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and later Delhi.
• Yamuna suffers from heavy pollution especially in the Delhi area.

GK Questions

• The Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) is a bilateral project between the Government of India and which country? Japan.
• What is GAP? The Ganga Action Plan or GAP was a program launched in January 1986 to reduce the pollution load on the river. This plan was withdrawn on 31 March 2000 after spending Rs 9017 million.
• What is the National Aquatic Animal of India? River Dolphin. It is a critically endangered species in India.  It can only survive in pure and fresh water.