With the government eyeing an overhaul of water supply and sewage infrastructure in the Capital, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for 43 Delhi Jal Board (DJB) projects worth Rs 8,941.22 crore on Thursday (October 22). Ten of these 43 projects, worth Rs 2,827.11 crore, will be inaugurated, while the foundation stones for 33 others will be laid, according to Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh.The announcement comes a day after Chief Minister Rekha Gupta led the Delhi government’s “Chalo Yamuna” campaign. More than 35,000 people participated at 70 locations along the river banks, according to officials.The Delhi Water Minister said that cleaning the Yamuna ghats is one of the key objects behind the projects. “Every drop of sewage will be collected, treated and reused. That is the promise behind these 43 projects. Cleaning the ghats shows our intent. Stopping sewage from reaching the river is the permanent solution,” he said.Among the major projects set to be inaugurated by Amit Shah is a new 124 million gallons per day (MGD) sewage treatment plant (STP) at Okhla, set up at an estimated cost of Rs 1,161 crore.Eight existing STPs will be upgraded at a cost of Rs 1,041 crore, increasing their combined treatment capacity from 78.2 MGD to 140.8 MGD and benefiting an estimated 78.5 lakh people.The projects also include 29 decentralised sewage treatment plants and sewage pumping stations in Outer Delhi, set to be launched at a cost of Rs 3,113.67 crore. These are expected to cover 358 unauthorised colonies and 113 villages, with a combined population of around 36.29 lakh.A 1,034-km sewer network, which will also be unveiled, estimated to cost Rs 1,691 crore, is planned to benefit 25.82 lakh people. The projects also include a 477 million litres per day (MLD) water treatment plant at Chandrawal, costing Rs 298.3 crore, which will replace existing plants built in 1935 and 1955 and serve around 22 lakh people.Story continues below this adA 4.5-km trunk drain at Mundka, estimated to cost Rs 225.02 crore, will also be unveiled during the event.On Sunday, the “Chalo Yamuna” campaign was conducted simultaneously at 70 locations, stretching from Soor Ghat near Wazirabad and Signature Bridge to Yamuna Bazar, ITO, Nizamuddin, Sarai Kale Khan and Chilla. Speaking about the campaign, the Delhi Water Minister said, “This was not a one-day campaign. It is the start of a movement.According to the Minister, around 76,755 kg of municipal solid waste was removed during the drive, which involved multiple government departments, students, resident welfare associations and non-governmental organisations.The participants, he said, included 20,000 citizens, families and RWA members, 10,500 BJP workers, 2,500 students and 2,000 NGO volunteers. Students from more than 25 Delhi University colleges took part.Story continues below this adThe drive involved more than 10 government departments, including the Irrigation and Flood Control department, Public Works department, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Jal Board, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, Delhi Police and Delhi Disaster Management Authority.Officials said the government deployed 26 JCB machines, 19 tractor-trolleys, 24 boats, seven weed harvesters and trash skimmers, and 269 PWD maintenance vans.Around seven tonnes of waste were removed from Usmanpur village alone, while more than 5.6 tonnes were collected from Sonia Vihar, the minister said. He also thanked 227 sanitation workers and machine operators involved in the drive, as per officials. “For years, no minister or Chief Minister of the previous government ever stepped onto a Yamuna ghat to clean it. Yamuna’s cleaning stayed in files and speeches. Yesterday, the government and the people stood in the river together,” he said.The Minister also announced a “Birthday with Yamuna” initiative, under which huts will be built along the riverbank for people to celebrate their birthdays.Story continues below this adHe said he would celebrate his birthday on November 7 under the initiative and appealed to Delhi residents to mark their special occasions there.