New Delhi: As BJP leaders went about accusing the AAP-led Delhi government of not allowing Chhath celebrations along the Yamuna to hide the "pathetic" state of the river, the Environment Minister Gopal Rai and Delhi Jal Board Vice-Chairperson Raghav Chadha blamed the governments in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana for the toxic frothing in the river.
The 22-kilometre stretch of the Yamuna between Wazirabad and Okhla, which is less than 2 per cent of its length of 1,370 kilometres from Yamunotri to Allahabad, accounts for around 80 per cent of the pollution load in the river.
The presence of phosphates and surfactants in untreated sewage from Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh is a major reason behind frothing in the river, according to experts.
AAP leader and Delhi Jal Board Vice Chairman Raghav Chadha alleged that Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been releasing around 155 million gallons of untreated wastewater a day in the river through the Najafgarh and Shahdara drains.
"This water containing a lot of organic waste, chemicals and detergents fall from a height at the Okhla barrage which leads to the formation of foam," he said.
Besides, paper and sugar industries in Meerut, Muzaffarnagar,
Shamli and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh also release untreated wastewater containing surfactants into the Yamuna through the Hindon Canal at Okhla Barrage near Indira Kunj, Chadha said.
While the Delhi government has been working to upgrade its sewage treatment plants to meet the
revised standards of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), Uttar Pradesh and Haryana should do
their bit in keeping the river clean, he said.
On average, 24 out of the 35 STPs in the national capital did not meet the prescribed standards for wastewater over the last one year, according to government data. Of the 13 CETPs in industrial areas across Delhi, only six comply with the DPCC standards for wastewater on an average.
Delhi generates around 720 million gallons of wastewater a day. The 35 STPs located at 20 locations across Delhi can treat up to 597 MGD of sewage and have been utilizing around 90 per cent of their capacity.