After Chhath Puja, cleanup alongside Yamuna to take multiple days

Environmentalists say any waste that is disposed of in the river will further deteriorate the water quality, and solid waste chokes aquatic life. The usage of machines on the ghats has also adversely affected the natural landscape of riverbanks, and along with such a large footfall, damages the natural vegetation.

New Delhi: A day after the city celebrated Chhath Puja alongside the Yamuna, officials on Wednesday said piles of waste had accumulated on the river’s banks. They added that cleaning up the same would take 3-4 days and thousands of workers had been deployed.

A View of Sonia Vihar Chhath Ghat after Chhath Puja, on Wednesday (Arvind Yadav/ HT)

The Delhi government had set up over 1,100 ghats across the city and constructed 17 model ghats along the river for Chhath celebrations. During HT’s visit to multiple ghats on Wednesday, tents were being taken down, carpets were being rolled back, and piles of waste—such as garlands, leftover food, and plastic bottles and plates—were being collected before being disposed by workers from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

A similar situation was seen at the Ram Ghat, Vasudev Ghat, and Shyam Ghat.

MCD data showed that the amount of municipal solid waste picked up daily had increased from the usual 12,000 tonnes per day to over 14,000 on October 25 and 28, the first and last days of the Puja.

“We began the cleaning process after the devotees dispersed, around 10am in the morning yesterday. But we are just six labourers, so it will take a few more days before the ghat is fully cleaned,” said one cleaner at the Surya-Yamuna Ghat.

MCD councillor and sanitation committee head Sandeep Kapoor claimed that approximately 8,000 workers had been deployed across the city to clean up the banks. “We started the cleanup on Tuesday and plan to continue till Friday,” he said.

At the Kalindi Kunj ghat, devotees could be seen coming throughout the day to offer prayers even as the banks remained littered with waste. “Every year, hundreds of devotees visit the ghat. We try to tell them to not dump things in the river, but to no avail,” said Mehendar Kashyap (55), one of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) workers at the site.

Environmentalists expressed concern, stating that the waste could greatly harm the river. “Any materials being disposed of in the river will further deteriorate the water quality, and solid waste chokes aquatic life. The usage of machines on the ghats has also adversely affected the natural landscape of riverbanks, and along with such a large footfall, damages the natural vegetation. The government should have arranged alternative temporary arrangements at local levels rather than promoting mass celebration along the river which has exposed devotees to polluted water and destabilized the river banks,” said Bhim Singh Rawat, environment activist and associate coordinator at the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers, & People (SANDRP).