Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has given a big statement regarding the cleaning of Yamuna river. He says that cleaning Yamuna does not become a voting issue in Delhi, but despite this he considers it his priority. Kejriwal has promised that Yamuna will be completely cleaned in the next five years.
Kejriwal, who promised to clean Yamuna by 2020, admitted that it has not been accomplished so far. However, he claims that a lot of work has been done in this direction and positive results will emerge soon.
Opinion expressed openly in podcast regarding Yamuna
When asked during a podcast interview whether cleaning Yamuna could ensure his political victory, Kejriwal said, “Yamuna is not a vote issue. I have understood that there will be no votes on Yamuna. But still I will clear it because I have come to work for the public, not for politics.”
He further said, “When I build a school or a hospital, I do not think whether it will get votes or not. My aim is to work for the people and the country. “It makes me happy.”
Causes of Yamuna pollution and direction of solution
Kejriwal also spoke in detail on the major causes of Yamuna pollution and the steps taken by his government. He said, “Yamuna remains clean till Wazirabad and Palla. After this it gets contaminated due to dirty water and sewage of Delhi. There are three main reasons for this:
- Sewage of Delhi: There were 1780 illegal colonies in Delhi, where there was no sewage system. We have almost completed the work of laying sewage lines in these areas.
- Shahdara Drain: It brings dirty water of Uttar Pradesh into Yamuna.
- Najafgarh Drain: Dirty water of Haryana falls into Yamuna through this drain.
To solve these problems, the capacity of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) is being increased. Also, new STPs are being built so that dirty water from falling into Yamuna stops completely.”
Delay in work due to Corona and personal problems
Kejriwal also said that due to the Corona pandemic and other political reasons, such as being sent to jail, the work of cleaning Yamuna could not be completed in the stipulated time. He said, “I regret not being able to fulfill the promises made in 2020, but now the work is being done at a fast pace. Cleaning Yamuna is our priority and it will be cleaned soon.”
Government’s roadmap for cleaning Yamuna
- Work of connecting sewage system to STP in illegal colonies.
- Establishment of special treatment plants for Shahdara and Najafgarh drains.
- Increase in capacity of existing sewage treatment plants.
- To completely stop all polluted water sources falling into Yamuna.
Kejriwal promised the public that these steps would completely change the condition of Yamuna in the next five years.
