How the Yamuna appeared relatively ‘cleaner’ during Chhath Puja in Delhi last year

Every year, during the preparations for and festivities of Chhath Puja in Delhi, there is a rise in discourse around the pollution that plagues the holy Yamuna river as it passes through Delhi. Visuals of people standing in the river while surrounded by toxic foam on river create a temporary uproar which also fuels political parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to point fingers at each other.

Yamuna’s passage across Delhi, especially the 22-kilometre stretch between Wazirabad and Okhla (which constitutes under 2% of the rivers total length of 1,400 kilometres) contributes to around 76% of the pollution load of the river, as per official data, majorly due to the several drains that merge into the river in this stretch. The discolouration of the river water, from being almost transparent at the northernmost sampling location (Palla) to severely discoloured along with foam at Okhla, is also evident as The Hindu reported earlier this month.