New Delhi, Jan 30 Union Minister and BJP National President J.P. Nadda on Thursday blasted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over its claim that the Yamuna River was being "poisoned" by the Haryana government.
Nadda shared an infographic showing pollution levels rising sharply after the river enters Delhi, accusing the AAP government of negligence and failed governance.
AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal had alleged that the BJP was "poisoning" Delhi's water supply to create chaos ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. He said that the people of Delhi get drinking water from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, but the Haryana government has "mixed poison" in the water coming to Delhi from the Yamuna. He claimed that it was only due to the vigilance of Delhi Jal Board engineers that this water was stopped.
Reacting to this, Nadda posted on X, "AAP-Da's blame game on Yamuna pollution exposes its inefficiency and failed governance. For over 10 years, Arvind Kejriwal government has delivered nothing but corruption, lies, and hollow promises. Despite receiving Rs 8,500 crores from the Central Government, no meaningful work has been done to clean the river."
Citing pollution data, Nadda wrote that the infographic from Info in Data showed how pollution spikes as soon as the Yamuna enters Delhi.
"The infographic from Infoindata shows how pollution spikes as soon as the Yamuna enters Delhi. Instead of taking responsibility, AAP-Da government has started spreading fear among people for political gains. Arvind Kejriwal should apologise to the people of Haryana and Delhi for his statement," he added.
The infographic, citing the Central Pollution Control Board and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, highlighted the rise in Biochemical Oxygen Demand and ammonia levels along the Yamuna's course through Delhi.
The entry point at Palla had BOD at 2 mg/l and ammonia at 5.5 mg/l. At Wazirabad, BOD rose to 7 mg/l, then spiked to 47 mg/l at ISBT Bridge, and stood at 44 mg/l at Okhla Barrage. The exit point at Asgarpur showed BOD at 85 mg/l and ammonia at 56.1 mg/l. Higher BOD indicates lower water quality, while ammonia is a severe water pollutant affecting aquatic life and human health.
The Election Commission of India has also expressed dissatisfaction with Kejriwal’s response regarding the Yamuna water claims. The ECI noted that he had not provided any factual, legal matrix with evidence to support his statement.
The Commission had sought an explanation from Kejriwal following complaints from BJP and Congress candidate Sandeep Dikshit from the New Delhi Assembly constituency.
In his reply, Kejriwal stated that it was undisputed that there was 7 ppm ammonia in Yamuna water and that a Delhi Jal Board letter admitted toxicity was 700 per cent higher than the permissible limit.
He blamed Haryana for the crisis, saying that the root cause identified by the DJB letter was the indiscriminate discharge of industrial waste by Haryana. He argued that the Delhi government had no role in this, as Haryana is an upper-riparian state.
As the Delhi elections draw closer, the Yamuna water controversy has turned into a major political battleground between AAP and BJP, with both parties blaming each other for the city's water crisis.
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