Thousands of residents, volunteers, and government officials gathered across Delhi on Sunday to participate in an extensive cleanliness drive along the banks of the Yamuna. The initiative, branded as the 'Chalo Yamuna Campaign', saw operations conducted simultaneously at 70 different ghats spanning the river’s course through the national capital. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta personally joined the efforts at Haathi Ghat, located near the ITO area, to assist in the removal of accumulated waste.
The campaign drew a diverse range of participants, including representatives from Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), various non-governmental and social organisations, and local public representatives. According to government officials, the event was organised to address the persistent issue of pollution along the riverbanks and to foster a culture of shared responsibility among the citizenry. Chief Minister Gupta praised the collective enthusiasm shown by the participants, noting that sustained public engagement remains essential alongside government-led initiatives to restore the river.
During the cleanup, volunteers collected a significant volume of debris, which included discarded clothing, damaged idols, and various puja materials. The Chief Minister used the occasion to urge citizens to refrain from immersing religious offerings directly into the river and to avoid leaving plastic wrappers or other refuse at the ghat sites. She encouraged residents to take on the role of 'Yamuna Praharis' to help monitor and maintain the cleanliness of the riverbanks in the long term.
Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh highlighted the logistical scale of the operation. He noted that the drive utilised a wide array of equipment, including trash skimmers and weed harvesters managed by the Flood department. Additionally, over 250 PWD maintenance vehicles and hundreds of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) trucks were deployed to manage the collection and transport of hundreds of tonnes of waste removed from the banks in a single day.
Beyond the immediate cleanup, the government emphasised that these efforts are part of a broader strategy to combat river pollution. Chief Minister Gupta stated that work is currently underway to establish new sewage treatment plants (STPs) and decentralised treatment facilities designed to intercept and process drain water before it enters the Yamuna. These infrastructure projects aim to prevent untreated waste from reaching the river, with officials expressing optimism that these measures will yield a cleaner Yamuna within the next two to three years.
Addressing concerns regarding the current state of the city's drainage network, officials confirmed that ongoing desilting operations are a high priority. According to the Chief Minister, millions of tonnes of silt were extracted from Delhi's drains over the previous year as part of a systematic effort to improve water flow and control the sources of pollution. The government maintains that the cleaning of the river and its surrounding ghats has now transitioned from a sporadic event to a consistent, regular work mandate.
The campaign reflects a concerted push by the current administration to balance mechanical intervention with public awareness. By involving local communities, the government intends to ensure that the riverbanks remain clear of household and religious waste, while simultaneously fast-tracking engineering solutions to address the root causes of water contamination across the city.
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