NEW DELHI: The massive amount of garbage dumped each day at the banks of river Yamuna, the only river in the Capital which provides water to its citizens, is a clear reminder of the fact that no one loves a clean Yamuna.
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) claims to work every day to clean the massive water body, while the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) states that its has received Rs 300 crore to establish seven sewage treatment plants (STP) and is working for their construction.
However, the river, which serves as a lifeline for Delhiites, has bigger problems.
Endless dumping of garbage raises the question that even after work being done by civic agencies, if citizens do not take the responsibility of maintaining the river, how will the banks of Yamuna ever be clean?
Recently, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that DDA is working to implement a "comprehensive project" for restoration and rejuvenation of the river. He emphasised on rejuvenation of Yamuna and Ganga rivers as a necessity to sustain the Indian civilisation.
According to reports, Rs 2,000 crore has been spent on cleaning Yamuna over the past 22 years, with Rs 563 crore used in Phase-1 of Yamuna Action Plan. Nearly, Rs 1,600 crore allocated additionally is yet to be spent.
Phase-1 of the Yamuna Action Plan was aimed at reducing pollution in Najafgarh and Delhi Gate drains, while Phase-2 was aimed at tackling pollution at Shahdara and Barapullah drains.
According to DJB reports, the prime cause of Yamuna pollution is because 45 per cent of Delhi is unsewered and industrial effluent falls into drains.
Other reasons include dumping of solids in drains and rivers, along with slaughtering and industries in residential areas.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently lashed out at the Delhi government and DJB for delay in complying with the order of cleaning Yamuna and asked the agencies to show cause as to why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them.
DJB and the Delhi government are set to miss the deadline they had proposed in 2015 for completing the project.
According to reports, almost 85 per cent of the work is still pending due to multiple reasons.
Slamming the agencies earlier, the NGT observed, "Why are you picking up things here and there? We are only concerned with the pollution in the Yamuna. You are coming up with a new plea each time. We are interested in the entire stretch of river Yamuna and not confined to segments."
"We are not going to compartmentalise the Yamuna as it is all one ecosystem. You want Haryana to give you more water for dilution of the pollutants in the river but show us what have you done. The Yamuna in your territory has become a sewer line," the NGT bench observed.