Delhi's political temperature soared on Saturday after the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) reported worsening water quality in the Yamuna, just ahead of Chhath Puja, when thousands of devotees are expected to take a holy dip.
While the report indicates that the river remains unsafe for bathing across most stretches, Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma defended the government, saying the BJP-led administration "doesn't hide reports" and has worked "with full honesty" to clean the river.
"The difference between the samples taken on the 9th and those taken today is like night and day. Women visiting the ghats are saying they've never seen the Yamuna this clean. This is the result of seven months of hard work," Verma said.
"We never claimed the Yamuna would be cleaned in seven months. It's a three-to-four-year plan. But compared to the last ten years, there is a clear improvement," he added.
'BJP Playing Politics With Public Health': AAP
Based on the DPCC report, Delhi Aam Aadmi President Saurabh Bhardwaj accused the government of playing politics with pollution ahead of the Bihar elections.
"The Yamuna is neither fit for drinking nor bathing. The BJP government is playing with the lives of Purvanchal residents," Bharadwaj said.
Verma responded by saying that there have been visible improvements along the ghats and highlighted the government's transparency about the ongoing work.
The government has set up hundreds of temporary ghats along the Yamuna for Chhath Puja, as well as deployed sanitation and safety teams.
DPCC Report
The DPCC October 2025 report, based on October 9 samples, shows the river remains largely unsafe for bathing except at Palla -- the stretch from where the Yamuna enters Delhi.
Officials said water quality improved after October 21, when Haryana increased releases from the Hathnikund Barrage, boosting river flow.
The drains in the national capital remain a key source of pollution. Most of the 27 major drains tested exceeded safe limits for the Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD).
The worst were the Molarband and Sahibabad drains, with BOD at 145 mg/l and COD at 416 mg/l, nearly five times the permissible limits.
Drains including Shahdara, SEN Nursing Home, and Sarita Vihar Bridge also recorded high pollution. Six drains, including Sweeper Colony, Civil Mill, Old Agra Canal, and Jaitpur, had no flow. Only the Abul Fazal drain came close to standards, with BOD at 40 mg/l and COD at 96 mg/l.
Officials said that strengthened sewage treatment and stopping untreated wastewater from entering the Yamuna are urgently needed.
