Reality check of the Yamuna ‘clean-up’: Animal carcasses, a ‘pond’, and open drains

The Rekha Gupta government in Delhi claims that it has reduced pollution in the Yamuna ahead of the Chhath festival. The water may not be fit to drink, but it’s supposedly clean enough for devotees to bathe in and perform rituals. From Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to her ministers – everyone is repeating this line.

This despite the Delhi Pollution Control Board’s latest report pointing to alarming levels of pollution.

The opposition Aam Aadmi Party has been calling this a “fake clean-up”, pointing to what it says are man-made ponds, and even challenging the CM by filling bottles with Yamuna water on camera.

In the middle of these claims and counterclaims, Newslaundry went on the ground to investigate the truth behind Delhi’s Yamuna clean-up. What we found tells a different story.

Thousands of litres of untreated sewage continue to flow into the river through open drains. Dead animals were seen floating on the water.

Arvind Kumar, a resident of Wazirabad who came to inspect the river before Chhath, told us: “On one hand, the government says the Yamuna is clean. On the other, you can see dirty drain water from nearby colonies flowing right into it. If my family performs rituals in this polluted water, imagine the sin we would commit.”

A local fisherman who works along the Yamuna every day had a similar take: “The pollution hasn’t gone down. They’ve just released more water to make it look clean. Once Chhath is over and the flow is reduced, the Yamuna will turn black again.”

The DPCC report this month stated that the river’s water remains unfit for bathing across Delhi, except at Palla, where it enters the city. Samples taken on October 9 revealed high pollution levels, with major drains, such as Molarband and Sahibabad, recording Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels of 145 mg/l and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) at 416 mg/l – five times the permissible limit.

We also found that the 22 major drains flowing into the Yamuna are still discharging untreated sewage, just like before. So how is the Delhi government claiming that the Yamuna is clean?

Watch our ground report to find out.

Complaining about the media is easy. Why not do something to make it better? Support independent media and subscribe to Newslaundry today.