Delhi's Yamuna River Returns to Foam-Covered State After Temporary Chhath Festival Cleanup

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had previously assured a foam-free Yamuna during October's Chhath festival, a promise she successfully delivered on.

On October 28, Gupta, who assumed office as Delhi's Chief Minister approximately ten months ago, participated in the religious ceremony alongside fasting devotees, offering prayers to the rising Sun on the banks of a visibly cleaner Yamuna River with no foam present.

Prior to the festival, the Delhi government implemented an extensive cleaning campaign focused on the river's condition. Government ministers regularly conducted inspections to ensure preparations for a "grander" and "cleaner" celebration.

However, the toxic foam has returned to cover the river just weeks after the cleanup efforts. When questioned about this recurrence, Gupta responded, "It's not a one-day job."

"Cleaning the Yamuna is a huge project," she explained during an interview with NDTV's Padmaja Joshi at the HT Leadership Summit.

"We cannot expect immediate results after implementing just a few measures. Almost all of Delhi's drainage systems empty into the Yamuna. Since our BJP government came to power, we've initiated upgrades to the older drainage infrastructure. The Yamuna can only be considered clean after all this work reaches completion. This is not something that can be accomplished in a single day," she stated.

Addressing the cause of the foam formation, Gupta clarified, "The entire river isn't covered with foam. The froth appears primarily in the Okhla barrage area, where water descends from an elevation. When this water, contaminated with industrial effluents, falls from height, it generates the foam."

For the Chhath festival, authorities applied an anti-surfactant to eliminate the foam. "During Chhath, we implemented additional measures to clean the river as it was also a matter of religious faith. We cannot continuously spray chemicals in the water," the Chief Minister emphasized.

"There's one fundamental solution to this issue: we must address industrial effluents flowing into the river. Imposing restrictions on these pollutants is essential for truly cleaning the Yamuna," she added.

Gupta dismissed allegations from the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that the BJP government had supplied filtered water at Vasudev Ghat to create an illusion of a clean river before the festival.

"The water in the enclosure was from the Yamuna itself. I'm not concerned about opposition claims," she responded.

She also characterized Delhi's pollution as a "legacy problem," maintaining that there is no "magic wand" that can provide an immediate solution.