'Factually Incorrect, Misleading': Delhi Jal Board CEO On Kejriwal's 'Haryana Mixing Poison In Yamuna' Claim

The DJB statement comes after AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said that those associated with the BJP are sending poison-mixed water to Delhi to trigger a chaos and blame the AAP for the deaths of people.

File photo of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.

Source : PTI

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) chief has written a letter to the Chief Secretary refuting the claims by AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal that Haryana has released poison into Yamuna water entering the national capital.

Delhi Jal Board CEO Shilpa Shinde, in the letter, said that the statements made by Kejriwal are "factually incorrect, without any basis and misleading."

"These statements are factually incorrect, without any basis and misleading. The fact of the matter is that DJB regularly monitors incoming water quality and regulates supplies depending on the various parameters," Shinde said in the letter.  

The Jal Board chief also attributed the high concentration of Ammonia in Yamuna to a periodic problem, saying that the Ammonia level increases in the water every year between October and February. 

"In every Winter season, ammonia in river Yamuna increases during October to February. DJB Water Treatment Plants are designed to treat the ammonia upto 1 ppm... The ammonia increases in river Yamuna due to mixing of some untreated sewage or industrial waste at the upstream of Wazirabad Barrage. During winters, after monsoon season, the flow in river Yamuna decreases and untreated sewage released in river Yamuna does not get diluted adequately, resulting into increase in ammonia concentration in Yamuna river," the letter added.

The statement comes after AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said that those associated with the BJP are sending poison-mixed water to Delhi to trigger a chaos and blame the AAP for the deaths of people. The former CM said alert Delhi Jal Board (DJB) engineers prevented the polluted water from entering the capital. Had that water entered Delhi and got mixed with drinking water, a mass genocide would occur, the former chief minister said.

Meanwhile, Delhi CM Atishi said that the Jal Board CEO was pressurised by Delhi LG VK Saxena to write the letter and questioned how the Ammonia concentration increased in the water by six times. 

"When AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and I exposed the BJP's conspiracy regarding poisonous water, BJP through LG put pressure on the officials of Delhi govt and made CEO Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to write a letter and release it. They wanted to show that there is no issue, but truth is truth. The letter that was written by DJB - it has been clearly written that the water treatment plant of DJB can treat water up to 1 ppm Ammonia only, or by dilution of more water - the range can be increased to 2 to 2.5 ppm. But, as of today, 6.5 ppm of Ammonia is there in the water of Yamuna river. It means 6 times more Ammonia is there in the water of Yamuna that is being released by the BJP's Haryana government," Atishi said.

Meanwhile, the Haryana government has decided to sue Arvind Kejriwal for his claim and the BJP is likely to approach the Election Commission against him, BJP sources said, according to PTI.

All About 'Poisoning' Yamuna Water Controversy

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi has accused the ruling BJP in Haryana of intentionally draining industrial waste into the Yamuna that supplies water to the national capital.

However, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini refuted the claims made by AAP leaders saying it is their old habit of blaming others and then running away.

"I asked them (the AAP government in Delhi) to send their chief secretary and said I will ask my chief secretary to check the quality of the water.... They are talking about ammonia, but there is no shortage of water," Saini told reporters.

Kejriwal alleged that the BJP is trying to keep the people of Delhi thirsty as it indulges in dirty politics.

"BJP people in Haryana are mixing poison in the water and sending it to Delhi. If people in Delhi drink this water, many will die. Can anything be more disgusting than this? The poison that is being mixed in the water cannot even be cleaned in water treatment plants. For the safety of the people of Delhi, the water supply has to be stopped in many areas," he said in a post in Hindi on X.