Delhi: Top Official Says Yamuna To Be 'Cleaned In 3 Years' As Clean-Up Begins, AAP Reacts

The BJP in its 'Viksit Delhi Sankalp Patra' for the assembly polls promised to set up a Yamuna Kosh to revitalise the river and develop a riverfront on its banks.

Cleaning work underway at the Yamuna river in New Delhi.

Source : PTI

Days after the BJP won a landslide victory in Delhi, the cleaning work for the Yamuna has started. Raj Niwas officials said that the work on cleaning the Yamuna has begun with trash skimmers, weed harvesters and a dredger. 

Visuals showed trash skimmers deployed to clean the trash near the ITO office in New Delhi. The action comes after Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena met the chief secretary and additional chief secretary (irrigation and flood control) on Saturday and directed them to take up the cleaning work of Yamuna. 

Additional Chief Secretary Navin Kumar Choudhary said that Yamuna will be cleaned in the next three years. 

#WATCH | Delhi: Navin Kumar Choudhary, Additional Chief Secretary (I&FC) says "As per the directions by the highest level, we will clean Yamuna in the next 3 years before 2027. The work will be done in 3-4 steps. The first is to remove the solid waste from the river bed. That… https://t.co/DhTZLFDWpJ pic.twitter.com/NmHh1tNz9E

— ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2025

Speaking on the cleaning work, Choudhary said, "As per the directions by the highest level, we will clean Yamuna in the next 3 years before 2027. The work will be done in 3-4 steps. The first is to remove the solid waste from the river bed. That work is going better and to repair all the STPs. We will also ensure that no chemical is discharged in Yamuna without getting treated."

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party hit out at the Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena saying if the LG had to do everything, then they should have imposed President's Rule in the capital. 

#WATCH | Delhi: On Yamuna cleaning process underway, AAP leader Gopal Rai says, "Such a large election was held in Delhi. If it is the Lt Governor who has to do everything, then they should have imposed President's Rule. People have elected a government. CM and government will… pic.twitter.com/dHML3BkLcM

— ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2025

"Such a large election was held in Delhi. If it is the Lt Governor who has to do everything, then they should have imposed President's Rule. People have elected a government. CM and government will carry out their responsibility. Which power group of BJP is active behind the sudden activeness of Lt Governor regarding this is something only they would be able to say. But this is the responsibility of the government, people of Delhi have elected them. BJP should head towards fulfilling whatever promises they made," AAP leader Gopal Rai said. 

Four-Pronged Strategy To Clean Yamuna

Senior officials in Delhi said that a four-pronged strategy has been put in place to clean the Yamuna, which involves removing trash and silt from the river stream and simultaneous cleaning operations in Najafgarh drain, supplementary drain and other major drains.

Moreover, the strategy involves daily monitoring of capacity and output of the existing sewage treatment plants and a time-bound construction of new STPs and decentralised STPs to meet the actual shortfall of treating about 400 MGD of sewer.

"Execution of this ambitious plan that targets cleaning the river in about three years, will require seamless coordination between various agencies and departments including Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Jal Board, I&FC, environment department, public works department and Delhi Development Authority," an official at the LG office said.

The monitoring of the cleaning work will be done in a weekly basis at the highest level. Meanwhile, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee has been directed to keep strict vigil on discharge of untreated effluent into the drains by industrial units.

The BJP in its 'Viksit Delhi Sankalp Patra' for the assembly polls promised to set up a Yamuna Kosh to revitalise the river and develop a riverfront on its banks. The BJP stormed to power in Delhi after winning 48 of the 70 assembly seats in the February 5 elections. The party's government is likely to be formed next week.