Yamuna’s water quality deteriorated, unfit for bathing: Report

With the four-day festival of Chhath having begun on Saturday, a monthly report of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) stated that the water quality in the Yamuna has worsened in October, in comparison to September, and is unfit even for bathing, except at Palla village, where it enters the city.

The water samples for this month’s report were collected on October 9.

This was expected because floodwaters in September had diluted and flushed out pollutants, temporarily improving water quality. Now, with no storm water, the situation has returned to square one.

However, in view of the Chhath festival, water is being released from Haryana’s Hathnikund Barrage, which to some extent has diluted the pollution.

Moreover, the Delhi Government has also sprayed chemicals to make the water somewhat fit for taking the dip during these festivities.

Based on the DPCC report, AAP Delhi chief 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.

The drains in the 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.