India, May 20 -- There are many things those with a sense of civic duty can adopt - a dog, a cat, even a monument or a village if they have the means. Now, the cash-strapped Delhi Jal Board (DJB) is offering an unconventional addition to that list: a sewage treatment plant.

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, DJB is inviting individuals, private firms, and corporations to "adopt" wastewater treatment plants along Delhi's drains. The plan is part of a broader effort to raise funds for the cleaning of the Yamuna-a key election promise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led city government. The administration has set a target of 2028 to restore the ecological health of the Yamuna.

DJB's adoption programme, which officials are pitching as a...