Heavy showers cleanse Yamuna of toxic froth

NEW DELHI: The recent heavy rains and flood-like situation of the Yamuna has carried away all the frothing caused after Ganesha immersion.

Experts are hopeful that continuous monitoring by the expert committee formed by the National Green Tribunal will ensure that the upcoming festive season would be better than usual in terms of Yamuna pollution.

On Tuesday, water level in Yamuna crossed the danger mark due to heavy rains in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. On Wednesday, 2,679 cusec water was released from the Hathni Kund barrage at 5 pm, which reduced the water level at Old Railway Bridge to 205.79 m.

Talking about the condition of the Yamuna and the frothing, activist Manoj Mishra said, "The frothing at some parts of the river is nothing new. It happens due to the overuse of detergent." The bio-oxygen demand of the river, a measure of organic pollution, every year reaches "dangerously high levels" after Ganesh Chaturthi.

The plight of the river worsened after thousands of broken or semi-dissolved idols of Ganesha – made of plaster of paris and coated with toxic chemicals such as mercury, cadmium, lead and carbon – were immersed in the Yamuna on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.

Last year, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) told the NGT that it had removed around 80 tonne of debris dumped on the Yamuna floodplains after idol immersion.

Mishra told Millennium Post, "This year, due to the monitoring by the NGT-appointed panel, the condition is better. The situation will be well understood at the time of Dussehra and Durga Puja. But we expect that this time, the condition will be better than last year."

The committee was formed by NGT to monitor cleaning of the Yamuna and was directed to submit an action plan on the issue.