High surfactant levels, ammonia and microplastics in Yamuna: TERI, Pg5

Key Highlights:

• A TERI study identified hotspots in the Delhi stretch of the Yamuna with high levels of surfactants, ammonia, and microplastics.
• The study, based on 100 water samples from 50 locations, was presented to the Delhi government on Tuesday.
• Recommendations include monitoring drains and STPs for microplastic contamination, penalizing non-compliance, and upgrading STPs.
• Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa directed departments to examine recommendations and announced an inter-departmental coordination cell.

Detailed Insights:

• The study highlights that untreated sewage, industrial effluents, and solid waste contribute to frothing, chemical contamination, and microplastic load in the Yamuna.
• TERI recommends continuous monthly monitoring of the Najafgarh and Shahdara drains, along with major STPs and CETPs, for microplastic contamination.
• Upgrading underperforming STPs with advanced oxidation processes and biological nutrient removal technologies is needed to tackle detergent chemicals and ammonia.
• The Delhi Jal Board acknowledges the absence of facilities to treat excess surfactants, emphasizing the need for determined limits on surfactant levels.
• Environmental activists stress the need for regulatory caps on surfactants and government intervention at the manufacturing stage to reduce surfactant content in detergents.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Surfactants: Compounds that lower the surface tension between two liquids, a gas and a liquid, or a liquid and a solid.
• STP (Sewage Treatment Plant): A facility that treats wastewater to remove pollutants before it is discharged into the environment.
• CETP (Common Effluent Treatment Plant): A treatment plant that treats effluents from a cluster of small-scale industrial units.