Boats and barricades in desperate bid to combat Yamuna foam

Visuals of water being sprinkled using a hose in the Yamuna river did the rounds Wednesday. Delhi government sources said that the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), in collaboration with the Irrigation and Flood Control Department and the Revenue Department, deployed boats in the river to get rid of the foam. A total of 15 boats were deployed, to “beat the foam with sticks” and disperse it, said a government official. Boats were also deployed in the river on Tuesday, a senior Delhi Jal Board (DJB) official said, and this had helped to “break up” the foam particles, allowing them to dissolve into water. A total of 30 to 40 people were deployed with the boats on Wednesday, sources at the DJB said.

“We’re aware that long term measures need to be implemented. But the optics associated with Chhath puja and the river meant that we had to resort to such things,” the government official said. Chhath devotees have been seen taking a dip in the foaming water in the river near Kalindi Kunj.

Attempts were also made to raise a temporary barricade-like structure near Kalindi Kunj to prevent the foam from floating further downstream. Water will not be released from the Okhla barrage by the Uttar Pradesh government till Chhath puja is over, the government official said.

The DJB then resorted to using a hose to spray water into the river, the DJB official said. Water sprinkling was also expected to help disperse the foam particles.

Sources at the DJB said that the DPCC had called for a meeting soon to figure out long term solutions to deal with the 150 MGD of polluted water that reaches the Okhla barrage. The foam is usually caused by the presence of phosphates in untreated water that is released from the barrage.