Ahead of Chhath, AAP and BJP spar over pollution in Yamuna
AAP says Rekha Gupta govt is using the same chemical to clear the foam that it had called 'poisonous' when the previous Kejriwal government had used it
Politics around River Yamuna is decades old in Delhi now. In the last few assembly elections, it has also been a major electoral issue.
Now, having winning the Delhi Assembly election after 27 years, the BJP has sought to clean up the Yamuna in mission mode. Big promises were made during election time, and now the government is continuously claiming that it is working seriously to fulfill all its electoral promises.
The Chhath festival is set to take off from October 25, bringing with it big questions on the river's pollution levels, how far they have been resolved, and the politcal wrangle the issue triggers.
Also Read: BJP sets up stage at Chhath Ghat to remind AAP of Yamuna cleaning promise
AAP accuses BJP of double standards
The Opposition AAP, which ruled Delhi for 10 years (mostly under Arvind Kejriwal) till February 2025, is now accusing the Rekha Gupta-led BJP government of using the same chemical to eliminate the foam in the Yamuna that its own government earlier had. At that time, the BJP used to call that chemical poisonous, points out AAP.
Rekha Gupta formed a committee specifically for the Chhath festival, entrusting Minister Kapil Mishra with the clean-up. Her government has been keen to show that it is very serious about cleaning the Yamuna — the aim is for Chhath devotees to stand in the Yamuna water and offer prayers to Lord Surya with no fears of pollution.
She also shared a video on social media which was made on the banks of the Yamuna at Kalindi Kunj. In the video, she said foam is being eliminated using a defoamer chemical. There is no harm from the defoamer — it is lab-tested and does not harm any aquatic life, she said.
The Delhi government also said measures are being taken to ensure that foam does not further form in the Yamuna during this period.
AAP’s question to Parvesh Verma
The AAP posted a counter video in two parts (in Sanjeev Jha’s tweet below).
One is a video from October 22, 2022, in which BJP leader and then-MP Parvesh Verma is standing by the Yamuna and reprimanding a Delhi government officer. A chemical was being used eliminate the foam in the Yamuna, and Verma is seen asking the officer why this “poison was being dumped into the Yamuna”.
The officer is seen saying the chemical was approved by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). To which, Verma says, “Should I pour it on your head?"
The next video Jha says a defoamer concentrate is used to eliminate the foam in the Yamuna. "Now, three years later, see...the same chemicals are being added to the Yamuna. I am making this video to expose Verma. I ask him this question: either back then he was lying to the public that poison was being added to the Yamuna, or he is lying now. This is the BJP’s double standard, deceiving people, running propagandas."
What's the solution?
Environmentalist Manu Singh says the defoamer chemical is a silicon-based chemical. It is not a solution to the problem but a symptom remedy.
“Actually, foam forms in the Yamuna at places where the BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand) is low, meaning the foam itself is not harmful. The damage comes from the pollutants that reduce the oxygen levels in the water of the Yamuna River,” Singh told The Federal Desh.
It therefore removes the foam and not the pollutants that cause the foam in the first place, he explained.
“This chemical is also a pollutant. Due to it, the BOD in the Yamuna decreases, and it adversely affects the living organisms in the water. If we talk practically, by using this chemical, the government is merely creating an appearance of action. It would have been better if serious steps were taken to prevent sewage water from entering the Yamuna, an issue over which the court had also questioned the Delhi government," Singh added.
(This article was originally published in The Federal Desh.)
