Delhi government to clean Yamuna by 2025, CM Kejriwal issues 6-point action plan

During the time Chhath Puja 2021 rolled around, devotees were greeted at the coast of River Yamuna with a thick layer of toxic foam and a river full of pollutants. The pictures and videos from Chhath celebrations went viral, and authorities received a lot of criticism for the condition of the river.

In an effort to curb the pollution levels of the Yamuna river, the Delhi government announced that they have issued a six-point action plan to clean up the sacred river by the year 2025. This announcement was made by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during a press conference.

CM Kejriwal said, “It took 70 years for river Yamuna to become this dirty. It cannot be cleaned within two days. I had promised people in these Delhi polls that it would be cleaned by the next polls. We have started work on war-footing. “

“We have chalked out a six-point action plan to clean the river. I am personally monitoring it. We will be implementing the action plan and are hoping to complete the cleaning work of the river by February 2025,” he further added. The chief minister said that the setting up of a sewer treatment plant on priority is also underway.

The six-point plan to clean up the Yamuna river was announced by CM Kejriwal at the press conference on Thursday. The pointers include-

1. Setting up new sewer treatment plants in Delhi
2. Increasing the capacity of the existing sewer treatment plants in Delhi
3. Changing the technology of the older treatment plants in the national capital
4. Merging the waste from Jhuggi Jhopri clusters that go into rivers into sewers
5. Establishing sewer connections at a nominal charge in areas where the connections are not already present
6. Desilting and rehabilitation of the sewers in Delhi

The Yamuna river running across Delhi has witnessed a steep deterioration in its water quality, as thick toxic foam covers the water body. The water supply of many areas in Delhi was also affected due to the rise in ammonia levels in the Yamuna.

Delhi is also witnessing a high rise in air pollution levels across the city, with the air quality dwindling in the very poor category for over a week. The Delhi government has also chalked out a plan to reduce the pollution levels, which includes promoting public transport and deploying water sprinkling machines in the capital.

(With ANI inputs)