The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has drawn up an action plan to prevent dairy waste from entering the Yamuna through the capital’s drainage network, senior civic officials have said.
The plan includes the installation of 10 biogas plants, nine wastewater treatment facilities and an overhaul of drainage systems in dairy colonies, alongside the construction of sedimentation chambers to trap cattle dung before it reaches drains.
MCD has also proposed decentralised sewage treatment plant (DSTP) projects in dairy clusters at an estimated cost of around ₹34 crore.
Both the MCD and the Delhi government have been directed to work in coordination with the National Dairy Development Board to better manage waste generated by dairies and cow shelters across the city.
In September last year, the civic body made operational its first biogas plant at Nangli dairy in south-west Delhi, with a processing capacity of 200 tonnes of dairy waste per day. Two additional plants are currently under construction at Goyla and Ghogha dairies.
Under the new proposal, two 200-tonne-per-day (TPD) biogas plants are planned at Ghazipur and Bhalswa dairies, each to be built on 10 acres of land.
Additional facilities include 75 TPD plants at Masoodpur and Madanpur Khadar; a 100 TPD plant at Sarita Vihar; a 200 TPD plant at Mangolpuri near the Outer Ring Road; a 100 TPD plant at Pitampura; 200 TPD plants at Sector 3, Rohini, and Sagarpur; and a smaller 50 TPD facility at Sri Ram Colony near Khajuri Khas.
According to the action plan, the proposed plants will together occupy around 35 acres. Six of the identified sites fall under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Development Authority, and a request has been submitted for land allocation.
In addition to biogas generation, the civic body plans to revamp drainage systems in dairy colonies and install DSTPs with a treatment capacity of 100 kilolitres per day (KLD) at locations including Nangli, Goyla, Kakrola, Ghogha, Bhalswa and Jharoda dairies.
Officials said the projects would involve constructing new drains and sedimentation chambers to separate and collect cattle dung before it enters the drainage network. In several dairy colonies, ageing or defunct drainage infrastructure has necessitated full redevelopment, they added.
The issue of dairy waste management was also discussed as part of a broader Yamuna rejuvenation strategy finalised at a high-level meeting chaired by Union home minister Amit Shah on 11 July 2025.
The review meeting, attended by senior officials and Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, focused on expanding sewage treatment capacity, improving effluent quality monitoring, promoting environmental flows in the river, strengthening water supply planning, managing dairy waste and tackling pollution more effectively.
MCD plans 10 biogas plants to curb dairy waste flowing into Yamuna
