The Yamuna river, Delhi's lifeline, faces severe pollution in its 22km stretch through the city. Excessive population, toxicity, and chemicals threaten its health. Despite government promises, the river remains neglected.
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00:30It is the break of dawn on a chilly February morning.
00:52The sun is rising on the Yamuna.
00:56Within Igambod Ghat, this morning, it appears as if the sun god is smiling on the river,
01:04almost giving hope that the destiny of this river is set to change.
01:14The river is Delhi's lifeline.
01:18Life needs to be breathed back to Delhi's lifeline.
01:22The river Yamuna, the stretch of it which flows in Delhi for just about 22 kilometers,
01:28is the most polluted stretch.
01:31The reason is excessive population, exploitation, toxicity in the river, chemicals in the river.
01:40And that's the reason why the Yamuna in Delhi is dying.
01:46Countries after governments have made promises to restore the glory, the lost glory of the
01:53river, the natural glory of the river Yamuna.
01:56But the fact is that it has failed.
01:59Governments have failed.
02:00And that's the reason why the river paints a picture of apathy, neglect and failure.
02:08The fact is that in our country, the river is not just a river alone.
02:13It is a symbol of hope.
02:16It is worshipped, it is revered, as much as it is essential for our sustainability.
02:46The Yamuna is the daughter of the sun and the sister of the Yamuna.
02:52There is no mention of the Yamuna that it was brought by Bhagirathi or someone else.
02:58It is the river itself, it is our mother, the Yamuna is our mother.
03:03And you see, it is so important that it has the ability to pacify all kinds of evil.
03:12If there is any kind of fault in the horoscope, if any kind of tantra or yantra has been done,
03:18by bathing in the Yamuna, by lighting a lamp on the Yamuna, all those faults end on their own.
03:25The Yamuna is the sister of the Yamraj.
03:28And this is the reason why this festival is celebrated.
03:35This is the day of salvation.
03:43According to Hindu mythology, the river was brought to earth by the ascetic practice of seven sages,
03:51where she first descended on Mount Kalinda.
03:54Therefore, Yamuna is also known as Kalindi.
03:59The politics that has been going on since the Mughal era can only happen on the banks of the Yamuna.
04:04The Britishers experienced this.
04:07Once, the Britishers took their capital from here and took it to Calcutta.
04:10They did not succeed there.
04:12They came back to the Red Fort of Delhi.
04:13The Mughals built the Red Fort of Delhi and Agra first.
04:20They built it on the banks of the Yamuna.
04:22And that is where the politics started.
04:24And even today, all the politics that is happening in India is happening on the banks of the Yamuna.
04:30There is no politics on the banks of the Ganga.
04:32There is no politics on the banks of the Narmada.
04:34All the politics is happening on the banks of Delhi.
04:40This is the Red Fort.
04:50For modern-day Delhiites, this is the place from where they see fast-moving traffic every single day.
04:57But centuries ago, this is where the river Yamuna flowed.
05:02This was the natural course of the river.
05:05In fact, the story is that the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan used this river to move to Agra Fort from Delhi's Red Fort.
05:35But before the Sansadhan, the rivers were big.
05:37They used to get a good amount of water.
05:39Now, the water has become very less.
05:55Yamuna covers roughly about 1,400 km from Yamunotri to Allahabad.
06:01Delhi SH is hardly 2% of the entire journey of the river Yamuna.
06:09But unfortunately, it gives 78-80% pollution to it.
06:15Obviously, this is the biggest congregation.
06:17Historically, somewhere, Shiva was operating in the river Yamuna.
06:27From which part of the river is the water being consumed by the people of Delhi?
06:33The entire stretch.
06:35If you see the entire stretch, water is being consumed.
06:39Because largely, subsoil aquifers are being exploited by everybody.
06:45Even in this surrounding, if you see.
06:49The river affects the lives of around 4.7 crore Indians on a daily basis.
06:55As it provides its water, not just for drinking, but for other consumption needs,
07:01including washing, irrigation, livestock, energy needs, and also for crucial tourism economy.
07:11There is no reason for the crops to grow.
07:13If the crops are grown, the crops will die.
07:15There is so much chemical in it.
07:17There are two tubes.
07:21All the water is coming from this.
07:24Believe it or not, it's a huge drain.
07:27The stench of it while we stand here is absolutely unbearable.
07:33The biggest job for us is that the boats run on water.
07:53On top of that, we are the mother of Yamuna.
07:56So, all the rivers that flow out of our Himalayas are seen as our mother.
08:00As a mother, she provides us with food.
08:03She provides us with a source of income.
08:07If we talk about winters, we earn around Rs. 1000-2000.
08:11Sometimes, we earn Rs. 3000 per day.
08:13From morning to evening.
08:15In summers, we work half the time.
08:17Because the public doesn't come.
08:19The main reason for this is that the migrating birds come here.
08:23People come here to see them from far away.
08:26They come for the birds.
08:28We earn a lot of money in Serbia.
08:31Because of this habit, we don't feel the stench when we are here.
08:36When they come from outside, they feel the stench.
08:40We don't feel it.
08:42It's like passing through a drain.
08:44We don't feel it.
08:46Politically, cleaning the river is a hot-button issue.
08:51It was the saffron plant's battle cry in the recently concluded Delhi elections.
08:59Look at the state of Yamuna.
09:03The entire country is watching.
09:05KGW, drink Delhi's water.
09:08Drink a glass and then we'll see what happens.
09:10We'll meet you at the hospital.
09:12What they are saying is that the BJP and Congress have met.
09:15And they are playing with the lives and health of the people of Delhi.
09:20The government of Haryana has poisoned the water coming from Yamuna in Delhi.
09:29The water is coming from behind in the holy river Yamuna.
09:33We are delivering it.
09:35I drank it and came here.
09:37Mr. Tejriwal says that the BJP has poisoned the water coming from Haryana to trouble the people of Delhi.
09:53But the optics aside, what can't be forgotten is that the river needs a fresh lease of life.
10:00Delhi has two Yamunas.
10:02One that flows before the Wazirabad Barrage and the one after that.
10:08The difference is the drains discharging in the river.
10:13The first among all 26 drains entering the river is the Najafgarh drain.
10:19Entering the river is the Najafgarh drain.
10:22It's the largest one carrying more than 60% of the total waste water flowing into river Yamuna.
10:33When you see between Palla to Wazirabad, there is no drain.
10:41It is a clean water, except that many a times from upstream, something comes when ammonia goes up.
10:54But when you see between Wazirabad and Okhla or Kalindi, the river actually runs through a drain.
11:04Because we stop water near Wazirabad, looking at the possibility of finding a solution for our drinking water.
11:13And the moment the river crosses Wazirabad, it becomes a sewer.
11:19The biggest drain, which is known as Najafgarh drain, historically it was a Sahibi river bringing water from Rajasthan, Haryana to Delhi.
11:32Which we actually in fact lost.
11:35And it happens when flood plain of river Yamuna is occupied by lot of human beings.
11:43And city is known to get populated.
11:47And if it is not in very organized way, problem appears.
11:52And the same problem appears in river Yamuna, most of the river in the country.
11:56In the city areas, in the plain areas.
11:58Where there is human population, pollution is inevitable is what you are saying.
12:07Interestingly, due to the topography of Delhi, the Najafgarh drain meets river Yamuna just half kilometers downstream of Wazirabad barrage and restores the flow of water in the river.
12:23Let's tell you how the river is differently polluted in different places.
12:28As per the Delhi Pollution Control Committee report of December 2024, the recorded BOD level stands at 6 at Wazirabad and moves up to 66 while reaching the ITO bridge.
12:58This is not a drain, this is water which has been treated by sewage plants, treatment plants right across the road, right there.
13:13Right here, all attempts are being made by the people living in Delhi to draw the attention of the elected governor.
13:21We are in Keshavpur right now. There are three sewage treatment plants here, which have a capacity of 40 mgg, 20 mgg and 12 mgg.
13:30This is the treated wastewater that has come out of these three.
13:35So, if it had worked properly, this water would have been completely transparent.
13:40You would have seen this water everywhere.
13:42This thing does not look so cloudy.
13:44But it is so cloudy that it shows that it is untreated and there is a lot of smell.
13:48Yes, there is a lot of smell.
13:50So, in a nutshell, if the sewage treatment plants do not function properly, then there is no point in this work.
13:58There is no point. This is just a show.
14:01Now, I would like to tell you one thing.
14:03I will do this. I went to Yamuna and picked this up from Yamuna.
14:08You removed the solid waste from Yamuna.
14:11What will happen with solid waste?
14:14You will see the river clean up there, but the water quality, like the BOD of Yamuna.
14:20If you see, in December 2025, the BOD of Yamuna will be 56 mg per litre on the downside of Wazirabad Dam.
14:28For a clean river, it should be 3 mg per litre.
14:32And how much is there in Yamuna?
14:33There is 56 mg per litre.
14:35Before going to Asgharpur, the BOD becomes 84 mg per litre.
14:40And the fecal coliform bacteria is 84 lakh mg per 100 ml.
14:44Talks are happening. Guidelines are also being given.
14:47Deadlines are also being given, but the deadline is failing again and again.
14:51If you see, the biggest STP of Asia, which was going to be made in Okhla of 564 ml,
14:58it was said that it would come under operation maintenance in December 2022.
15:01We are in February 2025. It has not yet come under operation. It is still under trial.
15:07Who is it under? If you see, who is its supervisory authority? Is it the Delhi government?
15:12Delhi Jalbol.
15:18Delhi empties more than 3,500 million litres of municipal sewage in the river.
15:27And in spite of all tall claims, over 50% of the sewage is either untreated or not adequately treated and flows directly into the Yamuna.
15:39Depleting water in the river is another major cause of Yamuna's pollution.
15:45You please see, this is a flood plain, wetland, active flood plain.
15:56In fact, every year Yamuna flood brings a lot of water.
16:01And this wetland stores substantial amount of flood water,
16:06where you see thousands of migratory birds from Europe, Siberia, Central Asia and China.
16:12And they are enjoying the restored wetland ecosystem where you have a lot of aquatic plants,
16:21you have fishes, you have insects, all characteristic organisms of a wetland you will find here.
16:28And this wetland, in fact, why this wetland is important?
16:32It is 100 acres wetland of DDA, Yamuna Vastu Park in phase 2,
16:36helps river during pinch period through lateral flow, water goes to river.
16:41And you see that many more such wetland can be identified in active flood plain
16:46and restored to keep substantial amount of flood water.
16:50And that will, in fact, give the life to the river.
16:54If you see surrounding this wetland, you have lot of grasses,
16:58you have vitivaria, you have saccharum spontaneum, you have phragmites,
17:03and these grass, you have, you see, saccharum munja.
17:06These grasses, in fact, act as a cushion, act as a, what you call, place,
17:14which brings water, which absorbs water, which keeps water.
17:18So, ecological restoration of Yamuna flood plain needs such intervention
17:23where you have characteristic flood plain wetland, grassland,
17:27and upland you have woodland and that will give life to river.
17:36Wow!
17:56Well, what you see right behind me is picking up of dirt from the river.
18:01Basically, physical garbage that you see sometimes floating on the river
18:04and at the banks like this one at the Vasudev Ghat is what is being done by this machine.
18:10Well, it's great that this work is being done,
18:12but it's not the first time that this work is being done.
18:16The fact is that this kind of work has been going on for quite some time now.
18:21The problem is that experts say that this is only this part of the solution,
18:26a tiny part of the solution.
18:28The bigger problem is that the water is dirty
18:30and no amount of picking up garbage from the water can clean it up once the water is done.
18:38Cleaning the river is not easy, far from it.
18:44How many such treatment plants are there in Delhi?
18:47All together 37 are working here and 3 are on trial right now.
18:51I see. And there is a great need to increase the capacity.
18:55Yes, there is a need to increase the capacity and the capacity is on 10 BOD, 10 TSS,
18:59on the guidelines of the CPCB.
19:02Where is the drinking water taken from for Yamuna?
19:05The drinking water for Yamuna is taken from the upper side of the Vajirabad Dam.
19:09The water of Yamuna does not flow down from the Vajirabad Dam,
19:12it is only waste water.
19:14Drinking water is taken from the upper side.
19:16You can see the river there.
19:19Drinking water comes from our WTP,
19:21Water Treatment Plant.
19:24And the sewage treatment plant treats the waste water.
19:27For example, the water of Yamuna will be collected from there,
19:30it will go to the WTP, it will be treated by the WTP,
19:33and then it will be used by the people of Delhi.
19:35If you go to the ground, there are only 7 plants,
19:38which you will see doing good work.
19:40If you pick up the water, you will feel that it is treated.
19:43You will see absolutely clean water.
19:45I can name them.
19:47You have a coronation pillar of 70 MGD.
19:49That treatment plant is very good.
19:51Pappan Kalan Phase 2.
19:53That treatment plant also does good work.
19:56You have one near Akshardham.
19:58That is the worst.
20:00That does the best work.
20:02So there are 6-7 plants that do very good work.
20:04After that, like you just saw Keshopur,
20:06there was a treatment of 3 plants.
20:08So all the rest are doing the same work.
20:10They are leaving so much polluted water.
20:12They are running it through private forms.
20:14They are running all the STPs through private forms.
20:16Still, I don't know what kind of collusion they have made with the government,
20:19that you are doing such dirty work,
20:21you are giving money and you are making it dirty.
20:27On one of the banks of the river,
20:30there is a sense of pride and optimism that fills the air.
20:37The issue of restoring the glory of the Yamuna
20:41has found resonance among Delhiites.
20:45People are also excited that Yamuna river will be cleaned soon.
20:48There is hope that the new government will clean the river.
20:51If they don't do it, then it will be removed.
20:54But they will definitely do it.
20:56It was very dirty here.
20:58Now that I see it, I feel that a lot of cleanliness has been done here.
21:02Sir, the government will not be serious on this until the issue is solved.
21:07It is good that it is cleaned.
21:09It is a very happy thing that this aarti is being done.
21:12The people of Kejri have been saying for 10 years that they will clean the Yamuna.
21:15They have not been able to do it yet.
21:16They will do it in the future.
21:18The BJP is taking action on this and will definitely do it.
21:46Delhiites, this is a sign of times to come.
22:16I am very happy.
22:18If Modi ji comes here, something will definitely happen.
22:21I am very happy.
22:23I feel that Delhi will become heaven if he comes here.
22:26I am very happy.
22:28I heard from my friends that he has come here for the first time.
22:31We should worship Yamuna like we worship Ganga.
22:34I am very happy to be a Hindu.
22:37I am very happy.
22:38Jai Hind!
22:40Jai Hind!
22:42Jai Hind!
22:44Jai Hindu!
22:46Jai Hind!
22:48Jai Hindu!
22:50Jai Hindi!
22:52Jai Hind!
22:54Jai Hind!
22:56Jai Hind!
22:59What it has happened before but the fact is that this time around things are different.
23:03The air is filled with hope and a new sense of energy that the river Yamuna, Yamuna Ma
23:12as they call it, will be cleaned up by this government.
23:16The Yamuna Aarti that has started right here is testimony to the fact, they say, the people
23:22of Delhi say, that this government, the new government, is right in their intentions and
23:29is on the right path when it comes to their attitude towards the river, which holds so
23:36much significance in the Hindu culture, and that it is going to be cleaned up and the
23:42pristine lost glory of the Yamuna river will be restored is what the people living in Delhi believe.
23:59The Yamuna Aarti is being performed right here at the Yamuna Aarti, which is being performed
24:06right here at the Yamuna Aarti, which is being performed right here at the Yamuna Aarti, which
24:13is being performed right here at the Yamuna Aarti, which is being performed right here
24:19at the Yamuna Aarti, which is being performed right here at the Yamuna Aarti, which is being
24:26performed right here at the Yamuna Aarti, which is being performed right here at the
24:31Yamuna Aarti, which is being performed right here at the Yamuna Aarti, which is being performed
24:36right here at the Yamuna Aarti, which is being performed right here at the Yamuna Aarti.