AAP Says It Will Remove Toxic Foam In Yamuna, BJP Hits Out

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) on Thursday began sprinkling defoamers in the Yamuna river at Okhla barrage to remove the toxic white foam floating on the water's surface - an issue that comes up every year ahead of the Chhath Puja festival.

- Paras Singh

The festival will be celebrated from Friday (November 17) till November 20, during which devotees will offer prayers in knee-deep water. Officials said that the sprinkling work will also continue till November 20 for which the agency has deployed 10 boats. DJB will also monitor water parameters during this period, the officials said.

Meanwhile, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that the "spraying of chemicals" is being carried out to "suppress the poisonous foam".

Delhi ministers and mayor Shelly Oberoi also took stock of Chhath preparations at some of the 1,000 ghats readied for the festival. Water minister Atishi said that DJB is sprinkling food grade chemicals and enzymes to tackle the foam.

"The sprinkling to remove the froth has been started using 10 boats and dedicated teams. In the next two days, the foam will completely vanish," she said.

The Delhi government has blamed the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh for releasing polluted water through the Okhla irrigation barrage into Kalindi Kunj. The presence of phosphates and surfactants in untreated sewage is a major reason behind frothing in the river, according to experts.