By The Sampadak Express
Cleaning efforts for the Yamuna River commenced on Sunday with a four-pronged strategy, just days before the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to form the government in Delhi. The initiative, which is aimed at restoring the river’s health, involves the use of trash skimmers, weed harvesters, and dredgers to clean up the river’s surface and remove silt and debris.
Raj Niwas officials confirmed that the cleaning operations have already begun, in line with instructions from Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena. On Saturday, Saxena met with senior officials, including the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary for Irrigation and Flood Control, and urged them to expedite the cleaning process.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the BJP’s victory celebrations on February 8, had committed to making every effort to ensure a pollution-free Yamuna. He criticized the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for neglecting the river, stating, “Maa Yamuna is the source of our spirituality… but these people (AAP) did not pay attention to Maa Yamuna, and insulted our beliefs.”
The four-pronged strategy to clean the Yamuna focuses on several key elements. It includes the removal of trash and silt from the river stream, as well as cleaning operations in major drains such as the Najafgarh drain and supplementary drains. Additionally, daily monitoring of the capacity and output of existing sewage treatment plants (STPs) is part of the plan. The strategy also calls for the construction of new STPs and decentralized plants to address a shortfall in treating around 400 million gallons of sewage daily.
The ambitious project aims to clean the Yamuna within three years, requiring close coordination between multiple agencies, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Jal Board, Environment Department, Public Works Department, and Delhi Development Authority. Monitoring of progress will take place weekly at the highest levels, and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has been tasked with strictly monitoring untreated industrial effluent discharge into the drains.
This new push for cleaning the Yamuna follows an earlier initiative launched in January 2023, under the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) orders, which formed a high-level committee chaired by the LG. However, after five meetings, the committee’s work stalled when the AAP government challenged its formation in the Supreme Court. The Court’s ruling on July 10, 2023, put a halt to the NGT’s order, and the committee was disbanded. During its brief existence, some improvements were noted in the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biological oxygen demand (BOD) levels of the river.
As part of the ongoing effort, authorities are now focusing on implementing the cleaning strategy with an eye on achieving lasting results for the Yamuna’s rejuvenation.
