Delhi govt deploys boats to clean froth; BJP, AAP spar over Chhath and Yamuna

New Delhi: Amid criticism over the formation of foam in the Yamuna — a sign of its hazardous water quality — the Delhi government on Tuesday deployed 15 boats to collect the froth with the help of ropes — a plan conceived by the DPCC in collaboration with the Irrigation and Flood Control Department and the Revenue Department.

While the exercise, which officials are calling only a temporary measure, will continue till the frothing episode is over "The problem will persist till sewage treatment plants in Delhi are upgraded to meet the new standards. There is no immediate solution to it. The foam is just the manifestation of the water quality of the Yamuna and it is a long-term issue," one official said.

Officials said the idea entailed the deployment of boats parallel to each other and then roping the foam.

However, amid emergency measures being deployed to clean the river and people defying the DDMA ban by performing Chhath rituals along the polluted Yamuna, the Delhi government blamed Haryana and UP for the froth as BJP leaders, including Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajender Shekhawat blamed the Delhi government for it — saying CM Kejriwal had "disrespected" the faith of "purvanchalis" by allegedly polluting the river.

On Tuesday, Shekhawat said, "Both Kejriwal and the Delhi government are running away from their responsibility of cleaning the Yamuna river. It is unfortunate that rather than cleaning the river, they are asking women not to celebrate Chhath (on its banks). Kejriwal is disrespecting the voters of Delhi."

Responding to the charges, Delhi Jal Board Vice-Chairperson and AAP leader Raghav Chadha said it was "unfortunate" that Shekhawat was merely interested in politics, instead of calling a meeting between polluting states and finding a resolution.

He said the Okhla barrage is under the UP government and that the frothing in the river is due to untreated wastewater from both UP and Haryana. Chadha added that repeated attempts by the DJB and the Delhi government to meet with UP and Haryana over this issue have not resulted in action, also alleging that NGT orders on STPs were not being followed through.

However, sticking to his guns, Shekhawat claimed over Rs 2,000 crore was allocated to 13 STPs in Delhi, which he alleged was not being used.

Meanwhile, speaking on BJP leaders defying the DDMA ban, Rai said that they may perform puja along the Yamuna as long as the Delhi Police and the L-G-headed DDMA allowed it. His remarks came as he went about inspecting some of the 800 Chhath ghats prepared by his government on

Tuesday.