News: Microbe Pilot to Clean Gurugram’s Leg-II Drain-28-04-2026
For two months, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) and civic agencies will test whether biological treatment can clean up the Leg-II drain in Gurugram, officials said on Saturday. Microbes or enzymes will be released at selected points so that organic pollutants in the water break down, a technique called bioremediation. The board has told the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority to run the pilot.
Akansha Tanwar, regional officer at the HSPCB (North) office, said legs I, II and III are being studied for better water quality and BOD standards, and that "unconventional methods like bioremediation" are being tried at the worst points, with more frequent sampling to judge feasibility. Whether the method is adopted for the long term, she added, hinges on the results.
The 16.5-km underground network stretches from Sector 42 to Sector 107 via Huda City Centre, carrying Gurugram’s effluent to the Najafgarh drain, which meets the Yamuna downstream of the Wazirabad barrage. About 237 industries release 7.46 MLD of treated and 46 MLD of untreated effluent into it, and BOD is now 115 mg/l.
Eight discharge points putting out 32 MLD have already been diverted, and 20 more releasing 78 MLD should be tapped and cut off by June, officials said. Illegal outlets were found at Ashok Vihar, Rajendra Park, West Rajeev Nagar, near CRPF camp chowk, Dharampur Village, Bhimgarh Kheri, Jahajgarh Village and the Sector 27/43 dividing road. Tanwar said inspections of industries are routine and closure orders will be issued against units illegally releasing untreated water. A review this week by the directorate of environment and climate change asked authorities to adopt new technologies and speed up drain cleaning.
