In preparation for the Chhath Puja rituals involving the participation of deities across the Yamuna River, AAP leader Atishi on Thursday said that the ongoing effort to remove the toxic foam from the Yamuna includes the use of food-grade chemicals.
She further claimed that the toxic foam will vanish in the next two days.
As reported by ANI, Atishi said, “To remove that (toxic foam), sprinkling of food-grade chemicals and enzymes is being done there. The sprinkling team started the sprinkling work on 10 boats last night. In the next two days, the toxic foam will completely vanish.”
Hindu devotees will immerse themselves in the river as part of the Chhath Puja, a four-day festival dedicated to offering prayers to the sun.
AAP leader further urged the Uttar Pradesh government to not send its polluted water to Delhi.
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Last month, a thick layer of foam was observed, prompting the Delhi Jal Board to deploy a team that sprayed chemicals into the river to eliminate the foam.
Atishi stressed, “1000 such similar ghats are in Delhi where all arrangements are made by the Delhi Government.”
According to a government report from 2020, the water quality in the river has significantly deteriorated, reaching a “critically worse” state over the past five years.
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Delhi Minister Atishi further questioned BJP and Congress governments about arrangements for Chhath Puja in their ruled states. She said, “When there were BJP and Congress governments here, I don’t think 100 ghats used to be made across Delhi for Chhath. Today, there are more than 1000 Chhath ghats across Delhi. I would like to ask the Congress and BJP governments, what arrangements for Chhath do you make in states ruled by you?”
Since last week, Delhi and its neighbouring areas have been shrouded in dense and dangerous smog.
As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality at 7 am in Bawana was recorded at 442, RK Puram was 418 in Jahangirpuri it was 441 in Dwarka it was 416 in Alipur 415, in Anand Vihar at 412, in ITO it was 412 and near the Delhi airport the AQI was recorded at 401.
Earlier in October, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva had criticized the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government for the state of the Yamuna River, alleging that Chief Minister Kejriwal has killed the river.
“Arvind Kejriwal has actually killed Yamuna. This water is in such a situation that if somebody puts their hands in this, they will fall sick. During Chhath puja, what will happen to those who take a dip in this water? There should be a criminal case against Arvind Kejriwal”, the BJP chief said.
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