Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said his government will waive late fee on outstanding water bills till December 31. He also said that 85 million gallons of sewage from Keshopur and Najafgarh will be cleaned before it flows into the Najafgarh drain.

This, according to the chief minister, is expected to reduce the pollution load in the Yamuna river by 30 per cent. "The government has taken a big decision to provide relief to the people of Delhi from the outstanding water bills. Late fee (late payment surcharge) on outstanding water bills will be waived 100 per cent till December 31, 2022," Kejriwal said in a series of tweets in Hindi.

"Sewage pumping stations of 55 MGD cumulative capacity will be built on Badli, Nigam Bodh and Mori Gate drains. The dirty water of these drains will not go into the Yamuna," he said. The Yamuna enters Delhi at Palla in the north and leaves at Jaitpur in the south, traversing a length of 48 km.

Twenty-two drains carrying domestic wastewater and industrial effluent fall into the Yamuna between Wazirabad and Okhla. Though the 22-km stretch is less than two per cent of the river length, it accounts for about 80 per cent of the pollution in the river.

(With PTI inputs)