The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has started two pilot projects in Delhi that will use constructed wetlands to treat wastewater flowing into the Yamuna. The projects, located at Shastri Park Drain and Kailash Nagar Drain, have a combined treatment capacity of about 10 million litres per day (MLD).

The projects are being implemented under the Sustainable River Rejuvenation programme. They use constructed wetlands instead of conventional mechanical treatment systems. The treatment process includes stone masonry structures to regulate water flow, rock filters to remove suspended solids, aquatic plants to absorb nutrients and transfer oxygen, and selected plant species to reduce pollutants, including excess nutrients and some heavy metals.

According to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the treatment systems are expected to improve dissolved oxygen levels, reduce organic pollution and support aquatic ecosystems while requiring lower operating and maintenance costs than conventional systems.

Work is underway at both locations. Desludging and desilting have been completed at Kailash Nagar Drain, brick lining is in progress and rock filters will be installed in the next phase. At Shastri Park Drain, cleaning work is continuing before construction of stone masonry structures, filtration systems and plantation begins.

NMCG has also conducted six training programmes on nature-based river restoration between August 2025 and March 2026 through its Knowledge Sharing and Development Centre (KSDC). More than 100 participants attended the programmes, including engineers and officials from the Yamuna Task Force, State Mission for Clean Ganga, District Ganga Committees, Forest Departments, Irrigation Departments and other government agencies.

The sessions covered planning, design, and implementation of constructed wetlands, ecological restoration and river management practices.

Separately, NMCG is implementing a constructed wetland project at Khatauli for the River Kali, a tributary of the Ganga. The project is intended to reduce domestic and industrial pollution before the river joins the Ganga basin by using natural treatment processes.

The Ministry said the projects are part of NMCG's river management programme, which combines sewage treatment infrastructure with ecological measures to improve water quality and river health across the Ganga basin.