Yamuna froth-free for Chhath, claims CM; AAP questions defoamer use

At the inspection, Gupta said that, for the first time in recent years, there was no froth visible on the river’s surface, crediting the improvement to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB)’s sustained desilting and pollution control measures

Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday inspected the Yamuna riverbank at Kalindi Kunj to review ongoing clean-up efforts and water quality ahead of Chhath Puja, even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) traded barbs over the use of defoaming chemicals.

AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the government of using the same “chemicals” to defoam the water that water minister Parvesh Verma had called “poison” during the Arvind Kejriwal government in 2022. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

At the inspection, Gupta said that, for the first time in recent years, there was no froth visible on the river’s surface, crediting the improvement to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB)’s sustained desilting and pollution control measures.

During the visit, she examined real-time water quality data at the on-site laboratory set up by the DJB’s treatment plant and quality control wing and expressed satisfaction with the readings.

“The dissolved oxygen (DO) level has reached 4.0 milligrams per litre, sufficient for aquatic life. Phosphate levels have dropped to 0.2, far below the threshold of 2.0 at which froth begins to form. The same stretch that once had a one-metre high layer of froth is now clean,” Gupta said, giving assurances that devotees would be able perform the rituals for the upcoming Chhath in froth-free water.

She credited the progress to the modern sewage treatment plants (STPs), drain tapping, and continuous river monitoring.

Dismissing what she called misleading narratives circulated by opposition parties using old videos, she said, “Some people are spreading old or fake videos to discredit our work. The public should see the ground reality. The Yamuna today is visibly cleaner and all chemicals used in the defoaming process are eco-friendly and certified safe.”

However, the CM’s remarks triggered a sharp political response from the AAP, which accused the BJP-led Delhi government of hypocrisy over the use of the defoamer concentrate.

AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the government of using the same “chemicals” to defoam the water that water minister Parvesh Verma had called “poison” during the Arvind Kejriwal government in 2022.

“In 2022, Parvesh Verma bullied and abused a DJB officer for using this same defoamer, falsely calling it poison and accusing AAP of contaminating the Yamuna. Now, under his watch, the same chemical is being poured into the river,” Bharadwaj said.

He also claimed that during the Kejriwal government’s tenure, the BJP had deliberately stalled the cleaning of the Yamuna “to prevent Purvanchalis from celebrating Chhath Puja”.

AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha demanded an apology, questioning the government’s past stance on the chemical.

Responding, minister Kapil Mishra said the government’s commitment was to revive the Yamuna and uphold Delhi’s cultural traditions. “Our efforts are guided by devotion and science, not politics. Certified, eco-safe defoamers are essential to ensure clean water for Chhath devotees,” he said.

While BJP officials maintained that only “non-toxic, biodegradable defoamers” were being used, the AAP has demanded that the DJB make public the safety certification of the chemical.

Officials said that alongside defoamer use, water flow from the UP canal has been reduced to prevent foam formation, in coordination with the neighbouring state government.