- By Raju Kumar
- Sat, 06 Dec 2025 07:53 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Yamuna Pollution: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday explained why toxic foam returned to the Yamuna after the Chhath puja, saying special arrangements were to clean the foam ahead of the festival, respecting people's emotions attached with the river. Since it was a matter of faith, we took extra steps to clean up the Yamuna, she said, adding that ahead of the Chhath puja, the government sprayed an anti-surfactant to clear up the foam.
While speaking at the HT Leadership Summit, she said completely cleaning the river is not a one-day job, it's a process linked to multiple things, including the treatment of drain system and her government is working on.
The chief minister explained that almost all the drains in the city flow into the Yamuna and her government is upgrading the old drain system. It's not a one-day job she asserted.
Untreated Sewage, Missing Effluent Plants Key Reasons For Yamuna's Pollution: Govt
Earlier, on December 1, the Jal Shakti Ministry said untreated sewage, missing effluent treatment plants, project delays and a major shortfall in solid waste processing are the key reasons the Yamuna remains polluted in the national capital.
The ministry also said that the Delhi Jal Board spent about Rs 5,536 crore over the past three financial years on efforts to keep the river clean. In a written response to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary said Delhi had a sewage treatment gap of 414 MLD in August 2025, lacked common effluent treatment plants in several approved industrial areas, and continued to face delays in completing and upgrading sewage treatment projects.
He added that Delhi generates 11,862 tonnes of solid waste daily but has the capacity to treat only 7,641 tonnes, leaving a gap of 4,221 tonnes. The minister noted that the Yamuna enters Delhi at Palla, where its water quality fluctuates through the year depending on water availability and catchment discharge.
(With PTI Inputs)