The cleaning of the Yamuna River began on Sunday in line with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) promise ahead of the recently concluded Delhi assembly elections. BJP MLA-elect Raj Kumar Bhatia expressed confidence that the river will be cleaned in the coming days, with festivals such as Chhath Puja soon being celebrated on its banks.
“Today the cleaning of Yamuna has started under the leadership of LG VK Saxena…trash skimmers, weed harvesters and a dredge utility craft are being used to clean the River…The program has been started in four layers…All this depends on the willingness of the government…In the past government (Arvind Kejriwal’s regime), such schemes were made too, but he (Arvind Kejriwal) moved to the SC and tried to stop the Yojanas…I hope that in the upcoming days, the Yamuna will be clean, and festivals like Chhath Puja will be celebrated on its banks…,” Bhatia told media.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena chaired a meeting with the Chief Secretary of the national capital, during which an immediate directive was issued for cleaning the Yamuna River. The cleaning efforts include the deployment of trash skimmers, weed harvesters, and dredge utility vehicles.
A statement from the Lieutenant Governor’s office highlighted a ‘four-pronged strategy’ to address the pollution in the Yamuna. It includes the removal of trash, garbage, and silt from the river, with simultaneous cleaning operations beginning in major drains like the Najafgarh Drain and Supplementary Drain.
“At the same time, a daily watch on the existing STPs in terms of their capacity and output will be maintained, and a time-bound plan in terms of construction of new STPs/DSTPs, etc., to meet the actual shortfall of treating about 400 MGD of sewer will be put in place and operationalised,” the statement added.
A three-year timeline has been set for cleaning the river, with emphasis on ‘seamless coordination’ between various agencies, including the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Environment Department, Public Works Department (PWD), and Delhi Development Authority (DDA).