India: Yamuna river groans under neglect

A man rows a boat through toxic foam floating on the Yamuna River at Kalindi Kunj, in New Delhi.FILE | EPS

Successive governments have spent thousands of crores on cleaning the Yamuna, but the river’s condition continues to deteriorate. But why does a clean Yamuna remain a distant dream, The New Indian Express asks.

Remember former Delhi water minister Satyender Jain advancing the Yamuna River cleaning deadline to 2023 from 2025, followed by the former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal pushing it again to 2025. Recently, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena further extended it to 2026. According to environmental activists, there is no dearth of funds but the only thing missing is the will to clean the river.

River scientist Faiyaz Khudsar, who is also the scientist-in-charge at Yamuna Biodiversity Park, said:

“We need to check the quality of detergent powder which is being used in washing powder and soaps which we are using—that is the main reason for the froth. In less froth too, clothes can be washed. Industries should be directed to not use ABC (a class of) chemicals. We need to have concrete policy decisions in place—that is the need of the hour.”

Read in The New Indian Express

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