Reacting to frothing in the Yamuna, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) vice-chairman Raghav Chadha on Monday attacked Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments for polluting the river.
“While it appears that the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are not bothered about releasing untreated wastewater into the Yamuna, I would like to put on record that the Delhi Jal Board has been constantly working to upgrade and augment its STP (Sewage Treatment Plant) capacities so that untreated effluents are not released into the Yamuna,” Mr. Chadha said.
He also said that Uttar Pradesh’s untreated dirty water reaches Delhi through Shahdara drain and Haryana’s untreated water reaches the city through Najafgarh drain.
“The Okhla Barrage is under the UP irrigation department, and water hyacinths grow in abundance. One needs to understand that when these hyacinths decompose, they release surfactants like phosphates. When this water, filled with huge amounts of surfactants like phosphates, falls in Kalindi Kunj from a height, it produces foam, which gradually accumulates and floats on the surface of the water. This foam gets difficult to remove,” Mr. Chadha said.
He added that Delhi has been trying to treat its sewage and will need the cooperation of other states also to clean the Yamuna.
