Just 18% of sewerage projects completed in 5 years under AMRUT 2.0

New Delhi: Barely 18% of sewerage management projects have been completed in the last five years under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0, a parliamentary panel has found.

The Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs has taken a grim view of the tardy implementation of sewerage and septage projects under the Centre's flagship mission. The committee, headed by TDP MP Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, reviewed the implementation of sewerage and septage management under AMRUT 2.0. The first phase of AMRUT was launched in June 2015 and was later subsumed into AMRUT 2.0, which was launched in October 2021. The second phase of the mission was initially scheduled to conclude in March 2026 but has since been extended till March 2027.

The committee reviewed the extent to which the missions have succeeded in ensuring universal and equitable access to sewerage and septage services in urban areas. In its report, tabled in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, the committee described the pace of implementation as "slow" and expressed serious concern over delays in expanding sanitation infrastructure and improving urban sanitation outcomes.


According to data furnished by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, only 104 of the 594 sewerage and septage projects approved under AMRUT 2.0 — about 17.51% — have been completed in the last five years. Around 398 projects (67%) are under implementation. Around 38 projects — about 6% — with an approved cost of Rs 7,564.03 crore are still pending at the tender stage, the committee report noted.

The parliamentary panel also found that less than half of the earmarked funds under AMRUT and AMRUT 2.0 for sewerage management have been released. "Against the total central assistance commitment of Rs 66,059.53 crore under AMRUT and AMRUT 2.0, only Rs 22,762.99 crore (34.46%) has been released so far. The committee observed that delays in such critical infrastructure projects can adversely affect the timely creation of treatment capacity, sewerage connectivity and septage management systems, particularly in rapidly urbanising areas," the report said.

The committee has directed the ministry to establish stricter timelines for states to complete sewerage and septage projects by introducing milestone-based monitoring. "The ministry should also undertake a comprehensive review of the financial progress of projects, identify states and mission cities where fund release or utilisation is lagging, and establish a time-bound monitoring mechanism for expediting expenditure and project completion," the report recommended.

The committee has also taken serious note of the fact that despite substantial investments under the two phases of AMRUT, the "creation of sewage treatment capacity has progressed at a slower pace than required".

Under AMRUT, against 291 sewage treatment plant projects with a total capacity of 6,299.36 MLD, only 5,396.39 MLD has been operationalised. Similarly, under AMRUT 2.0, of the approved STP capacity of 6,815.03 MLD, only 658.07 MLD has become operational, indicating delays in the completion of a significant number of projects.