The political economy of defecation
Yet- to action plan
A decade-old drive to clean up the Yamuna, in Delhi and elsewhere
In April 1993, the Union government launched yap, the Yamuna Action Plan, to tackle the river’s pollution. Since then, schemes have been implemented in 21 towns along the river in three states (Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi). yap itself has changed. Its first phase, called yap - i, was scheduled for completion during April 2002. But an extended phase of yap - i ran from May 2001 to February 2003. Currently, it is passing through its second phase (yap - ii , 2004-2008).
(see map: Knocked out loaded).
Since yap’s inception, a lot of money has been spent. Fuelled by Japanese bilateral funding, Rs 732 crore was sanctioned in the three states in yap - i plus the extended phase. Another Rs 573 crore has been allocated for yap - ii. Till March 2004, yap’s total expenditure stood at Rs 674 crore.
Perfect plans The plan of action has largely consisted of:
• Building sewage treatment plants to treat domestic sewage
• Building common effluent treatment plants to treat industrial waste
• Repairing city sewage systems