Delhi’s Yamuna River Chokes with Foam After Chhath Puja, CM Rekha Gupta Says ‘It’s Not a One-Day Job’

New Delhi

oi-Ashish Rana

Delhi
Chief
Minister
Rekha
Gupta
had
assured
a
froth-free
Yamuna
during
the
Chhath
festival
and
delivered
on
that
promise.
On
October
28,
nearly
ten
months
after
taking
office,
she
joined
devotees
on
the
riverbank
where
the
water
appeared
visibly
cleaner
and
free
of
foam.

In
the
days
leading
up
to
the
festival,
the
government
carried
out
a
large
scale
cleanup
drive
and
ministers
inspected
preparations
to
ensure
a
cleaner
celebration.

Toxic
Foam
Reappears
Weeks
After
Festival

Despite
the
temporary
improvement,
the
river
has
once
again
been
blanketed
with
toxic
foam.
Asked
about
the
recurring
problem,
Gupta
responded,
“It
is
not
a
one
day
job.”

“Cleaning
the
Yamuna
is
a
huge
project,” she
said
while
speaking
at
the
HT
Leadership
Summit.
She
explained
that
nearly
all
major
drains
in
the
city
empty
into
the
river,
which
complicates
cleanup
efforts.

“It
is
not
like
it
will
be
cleaned
up
immediately
after
taking
a
few
steps.
Almost
all
the
drains
in
the
city
flow
into
the
Yamuna.
After
our
BJP
government
came
to
power,
we
started
work
on
upgrading
the
old
drains.
Only
after
all
this
work
is
done,
Yamuna
can
be
considered
clean.
It
is
not
a
one
day
job,”
she
said.

Why
Foam
Forms
on
the
Yamuna

Gupta
clarified
that
the
froth
does
not
cover
the
entire
river.
“The
entire
expanse
of
the
river
is
not
covered
with
foam.
It
is
only
the
Okhla
barrage
area,
where
there
is
froth.
The
water
there
falls
from
an
elevated
point
and
since
it
is
mixed
with
industrial
effluents,
it
causes
the
froth.”

Before
Chhath,
authorities
sprayed
anti
surfactant
on
the
river
surface
to
disperse
the
foam.
Gupta
emphasised
that
such
measures
cannot
be
used
regularly.

“During
Chhath,
we
took
extra
steps
to
clean
up
the
river
as
it
was
a
matter
of
faith
too.
We
cannot
spray
the
water
with
the
chemical,” she
said.

Targeting
Industrial
Pollution
as
a
Long-Term
Fix

Gupta
stressed
that
the
real
solution
lies
in
curbing
industrial
discharge.
“There
is
also
one
solution
to
this.
We
need
to
address
the
issue
of
industrial
effluents
flowing
into
the
river.
We
need
to
impose
a
ban
on
these
things.
Only
then
Yamuna
be
cleaned,” she
added.

She
also
rejected
the
allegation
by
the
Aam
Aadmi
Party
that
the
government
used
filtered
water
at
Vasudev
Ghat
to
create
an
illusion
of
clean
water.

“The
water
in
the
enclosure
was
Yamuna
water
itself.
And
I
do
not
care
about
what
the
opposition
says,”
she
asserted.

Pollution
a
Legacy
Issue
Without
Quick
Fixes

The
Chief
Minister
concluded
by
noting
that
Delhi’s
pollution
challenges
have
accumulated
over
decades.
She
said
there
is
no
“magic
wand” that
can
produce
instant
results.