Manoj Tiwari Takes Dip In Yamuna, Declares 30 Km Of River Clean; AAP Says Drink Water At Kalindi Kunj

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari has claimed that nearly half of the 58-km stretch of the Yamuna flowing through Delhi has been cleaned ahead of Chhath Puja, drawing a sharp response from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which questioned his assertion and challenged him to drink water from the river at Kalindi Kunj ghat.

Tiwari, who represents North East Delhi in the Lok Sabha, visited Sonia Vihar ghat on Thursday and took a dip in the river. He also shared a video of himself on X drinking Yamuna water, saying pollution levels had dropped by half over the past year due to cleaning work undertaken by the Rekha Gupta-led government.

Crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Water Minister Parvesh Verma for the efforts, Tiwari clarified that he was not claiming the entire 58-km stretch had been cleaned. “I am not claiming that we have cleaned Yamuna-ji 58 kilometres from Delhi.

But we have cleaned Yamuna-ji more than half, i.e. almost 30 km,” he said. During his visit, Tiwari also pointed to birds around the river, saying their presence indicated improvement in the surrounding environment.

He said research and conservation efforts were being undertaken to protect biodiversity along the Yamuna. Tiwari linked the cleaning efforts to the significance of Chhath Puja, saying the festival should encourage people to protect natural water bodies and conserve water.

He urged devotees to celebrate near natural sources such as rivers and lakes instead of relying solely on temporary arrangements in parks. He also called for permanent ghats and ponds to be developed rather than temporary pits that are dug for the festival and filled up after a few days.

Addressing concerns over the river's condition, the BJP MP said water quality had been monitored at several locations and maintained that the cleaning work should not be dismissed on the basis of political criticism or social media content.

Tiwari also said further work, including dredging, was planned to improve the river's navigability. He noted that water levels varied across locations and said efforts would be made to address the issue. Responding to criticism over the Yamuna's condition, Tiwari referred to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP but said his visit was not intended to embarrass political opponents.

“I am not someone who is doing this to embarrass Arvind Kejriwal. No. We aim to give a clean Yamuna to the people of Delhi,” he said. AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj challenged Tiwari's claim, arguing that the BJP MP was overlooking the fact that some portions of the Yamuna had historically been comparatively cleaner.

“These BJP frauds know nothing about Delhi,” Bharadwaj said in a post on X. He claimed that the 26-km stretch between Palla and Wazirabad had “always been comparatively clean” and was even cleaner during the previous AAP government, citing Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) reports.

Bharadwaj said the river's condition changed after the Najafgarh drain joined it near the Signature Bridge. He claimed the drain carried around 862 million gallons per day (MGD) of water and contributed to pollution in the stretch beyond the first 26 km in Delhi.

He also alleged that around Chhath last year, the Centre had asked the Haryana government to release additional water into the Yamuna from the Hathnikund barrage. According to Bharadwaj, the additional water diluted the pollution load in the river.

“Stupid BJP leaders does not know the basics of Delhi,” he said, accusing BJP leaders of using the cleaner stretch to “fool the people of Delhi”. Bharadwaj also referred to last year's controversy over what he called a “Nakli Yamuna” and alleged that public money had been spent on the project.

He challenged Tiwari and Parvesh Verma to drink water from the river at Kalindi Kunj ghat.