BJP and AAP spar over Yamuna cleanliness amid Chhath Puja

According to the latest analysis by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), faecal coliform concentrations have seen record declines from 2024.

New Delhi: Public Works Department (PWD) minister Parvesh Verma on Saturday said the Yamuna’s faecal coliform levels—which indicate human and animal waste contamination—had dropped by more than 90% compared to last year’s October figures. This led to a political row, as opposition parties claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was “misleading” people ahead of the Bihar elections.

AAP alleged BJP was trying to woo the voters ahead of Bihar elections (Sanchit Khanna/ HT)

Verma said that four of the eight major sampling points in the river were now within or close to the permissible limit of 2,500MPN (most probable number)/100 ml, a benchmark “rarely” achieved in recent years.

“While the previous government spent 10 years making announcements, we have delivered visible outcomes within seven months. We had promised to clean the Yamuna within three years, and we are already halfway to achieving that target,” said Verma.

The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) Delhi chief Saurabh Bhardwaj, meanwhile, claimed that Delhi government’s own pollution report confirmed that the river water was “unfit” for drinking or bathing.

According to the latest analysis by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), faecal coliform concentrations have seen record declines from 2024.

Officials said the reduction was highest at Asgarpur, where the readings fell from 7.9 million MPN/100ml last October to 8,000 at present. At the Okhla barrage, the same reduced from 1.8 million MPN/100ml to 2,700 in the same time frame.

Taking a swipe at Bharadwaj, who recently cited a DPCC report to question the government’s claims, Verma said Bharadwaj had “conveniently omitted” previous years’ data that showed much higher contamination levels during his tenure.

In response, Bharadwaj said, “Drinking this water can endanger the lives of children and pregnant women. To secure votes in Bihar, BJP is deceiving Purvanchali devotees and playing with their lives. FIRs must be filed against BJP leaders for misleading the public. Because of this deceit, lakhs of poor Purvanchali women and children will stand for 45 minutes to 1.5 hours in this toxic water during Chhath.”

Delhi ministers, meanwhile, maintained that the water was safe for people to enter the river and offer prayers.