AAP, BJP in political slugfest over Yamuna pollution, Chhath Puja celebrations

AAP blames neighbouring states Haryana, Uttar Pradesh for polluting Yamuna

New Delhi, Nov. 9 (Delhi Crown): A fresh political slugfest has begun between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and main Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi just days before the celebration of the annual Chhath festival.

The BJP has alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government is not allowing Chhath celebrations to take place along the banks of the Yamuna River to hide its inability to reduce toxic chemicals that are floating on the water body’s surface.

The AAP leadership has countered by blaming the BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana for polluting the river.

The bone of contention is a 22-kilometre stretch of the Yamuna between Wazirabad and Okhla, which accounts for around 80 percent of the river’s pollution load currently.

The untreated sewage from Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh flowing into the river is said to have large amounts of ammonia, other phosphates and surfactants, and experts are blaming this for the froth that emerged in the river two days ago.

The AAP has accused both Haryana and Uttar Pradesh of releasing around 155 million gallons of untreated waste water a day into the river through the Najafgarh and Shahdara drains.

It further claims that the paper and sugar industries located in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli and Saharanpur areas are also releasing untreated waste water containing poisonous gases into the Yamuna through the Hindon Canal at the Okhla barrage near Indira Kunj.

The AAP maintains this is affecting the operation and upgrading of Delhi’s sewage treatment plants and has demanded that Uttar Pradesh and Haryana take responsibility to keep the river clean.

The BJP, on the other hand, has said that the AAP “wants to cover up the frothing in the river caused by high pollution load.”

“Delhi’s air and water both are poisonous. They (AAP) are not allowing Chhath celebrations on the Yamuna so that no one can see how poisonous the river has become,” alleged the BJP.

Untreated waste water from unauthorised colonies and the poor quality of effluent discharged from Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) and sewage treatment plants (STPs) within Delhi is one of the major reasons behind pollution in the river.

On an average, 24 out of the 35 STPs in the national capital have not met the prescribed standards for waste-water over the last one year, according to government data.

Of the 13 CETPs in industrial areas across Delhi, only six comply with city pollution standards for waste water on an average. Delhi generates around 720 million gallons of waste-water a day.

Last year, the AAP government had released a proposed nine-point action plan aimed at preventing frothing in the river.