BJP’s false claims on cleaning Yamuna exposed; RTI reveals all 37 sewage treatment plants failed treatment standards: Saurabh Bharadwaj

New Delhi: The BJP government's grand claims of having cleaned the Yamuna have collapsed under the weight of facts. An RTI (Right to Information) Act reply has exposed that all 37 sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Delhi have failed treatment standards, confirming that untreated sewage continues to flow directly into the river.

Citing the shocking findings, AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj said the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) investigation found fecal matter — essentially human waste — hundreds of times above permissible limits in treated water. Saurabh Bharadwaj asked pointedly, “When all STPs are failing, how can the BJP government claim to have cleaned the Yamuna?” and called the entire exercise “nothing more than a nautanki and publicity stunt in the name of Yamuna cleaning.”

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, senior AAP leader and Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj said that in recent days, the BJP’s Delhi government has made grand but false claims about cleaning the Yamuna. “They boasted that Arvind Kejriwal could not clean the Yamuna in ten years, while they achieved it in just eight months. The reality behind their fake ‘clean Yamuna’ spectacle is already known to the entire world. But what is truly shocking is the information obtained through RTI, which reveals that all 37 sewage treatment plants have failed the inspection,” he stated.

Explaining the findings, the AAP Delhi Unit Chief said, “It is important to understand what cleaning the Yamuna actually means. During Arvind Kejriwal’s tenure, hundreds of unauthorised colonies were connected to proper sewer networks. These networks were mapped and directed to sewage treatment plants to ensure that sewage waste was treated before it reached the Yamuna. The goal was to ensure that treated water meeting the ‘10 by 10’ discharge standards was released into the river.”

He added, “The first and most crucial step in cleaning the Yamuna is ensuring that STPs function properly. The discharge released after filtration must meet the prescribed quality standards. Secondly, many colonies and drains where STPs are still under construction need to be completed at the earliest to prevent untreated sewage from flowing into the river.”

Saurabh Bharadwaj revealed that the inspection covered STPs at Akshardham, Chilla, Coronation Pillar (Phases 1, 2, 3 and New Delhi), Delhi Gate, Delhi Gate(Phase 2), Ghitorni, Kapashera, Keshopur, Kondli, Mehrauli, Molarband, Najafgarh, Narela, Nilothi, Okhla, Pappankalan, Rithala, Rohini, Vasant Kunj, Sonia Vihar and Yamuna Vihar, among others. “Every single one of these STPs failed the test. This is a serious matter,” he said.

He further emphasized, “What makes this report even more significant is that it was not prepared by the Delhi government or the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). The DJB regularly collects samples from STPs to test discharge quality, but the Central Government itself did not trust those reports. Due to the widespread manipulation of DJB’s internal data, the Centre directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to independently test the discharge quality of all STPs in Delhi.”

“The CPCB’s investigation revealed that all 37 plants failed. Even more alarming, in 36 out of the 37 plants, the level of fecal coliform — essentially human waste — in the treated water was found to be several hundred times higher than permissible limits,” Saurabh Bharadwaj stated.

He concluded by saying, “When all STPs are failing, how can the BJP government claim to have cleaned the Yamuna? What they did was nothing more than a political drama and a publicity stunt in the name of the Yamuna cleaning. The truth is now in front of everyone.”