New Delhi: Ahead of Chhath Puja , BJP MP Manoj Tiwari Thursday took a dip and swam in the Yamuna at Sonia Vihar, praising the work undertaken to clean the river under the leadership of CM Rekha Gupta.
Tiwari, who represents North East Delhi, said he was “overjoyed” the work had made it possible for him to enter the river. There might be crocodiles in the water here, but crocodiles come in clean water,” Tiwari said, adding his visit was intended to send a message, not aimed at shaming Kejriwal. He credited PM Modi and Gupta, saying the objective was to provide a clean Yamuna to Delhi residents. “How can we not appreciate the work that has been done here? I will tell Arvind Kejriwal that this is all a sign of cleanliness.
The DPCC report said at Palla, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is 2mg/l, dissolved oxygen 6.5mg/l and fecal coliform 1,100 MPN/100ml — all within standards. However, downstream Wazirabad, at ISBT Bridge, the Sept 7 sample recorded BOD of 30 mg/l, compared with 8 mg/l on Sept 3 last year. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) rose from 44 mg/l to 92 mg/l over the same period. The fecal coliform count increased from 2,800 to 35,000. At ITO Bridge, BOD climbed from 4 mg/l to 18 mg/l, while COD rose from 20 mg/l to 60 mg/l. Fecal coliform levels increased from 1,800 to 17,000 MPN/100 ml. In Oct 2024, then Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva had taken a dip in the Yamuna at ITO to target the then AAP govt over the river’s condition.
Responding to Tiwari, AAP said its karyakartas had visited the Yamuna and exposed BJP’s false claims. The water at the site was black and heavily polluted, according to a party worker. The workers said Tiwari had taken a dip during the Yamuna Ghat cleaning drive and his claim that he was drinking the river water was “completely false”. AAP alleged Tiwari was from Purvanchal and was “staging theatrics” as Chhath was approaching. Issuing an open challenge to him, it said, “Take a dip where the drain water flows into the Yamuna, drink the water and livestream the entire exercise for the public across all your social media accounts.
The Yamuna’s condition becomes a major political flashpoint every year ahead of Chhath, when devotees enter the river for rituals amid concerns over sewage pollution and toxic foam.