An activist in Mathura, India, protested the pollution of the Yamuna River by dressing as a cockroach and staging a demonstration at the municipal corporation office.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that he could enjoy a boat ride on the Hooghly in West Bengal due to its clean waters, unlike the polluted Yamuna in Delhi. She also defended women's safety in Bengal and criticised the BJP's governance in other states.
Thick toxic foam blanketed stretches of the Yamuna, once again highlighting the alarming levels of pollution in the river.
'Can you believe there are over 26,500 deaths linked to heatwave-driven ozone in 2024?'
Thousands of dead fish have been found floating in the Najafgarh drain near the Dhansa regulator, raising concerns about pollution levels. Activists attribute the deaths to the inflow of untreated residential effluents and industrial wastes, exacerbated by rising temperatures.
The BJP's victory in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections was largely attributed to the Yamuna pollution issue, with the party successfully capitalizing on the backlash from Haryanvi-origin voters who perceived AAP's narrative on the river's pollution as an attack on their home state. The BJP's campaign focused on presenting itself as both the protector of Haryana's honor and the party with a concrete vision for the Yamuna's revival, ultimately leading to AAP's significant decline in the Yamuna belt and rural areas.
Delhi cabinet minister Parvesh Verma launched a sharp attack on the previous AAP government, alleging failure to carry out basic civic works over the past decade, leading to issues like garbage mountains, broken roads, pollution, and Yamuna cleaning.
'Most pollution boards across the country have unused funds. There is practically no reason why pollution should not be a political priority.'
While the BJP has assured voters that these benefits will not be discontinued, AAP leaders have questioned the party's long-term commitment.
The Trinamool Congress has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to experience West Bengal's 'Maa Canteen' during his visit for election campaigning, offering a meal for Rs 5. The TMC also criticised Modi's remarks on infiltration, linking it to the Home Minister's responsibilities.
The EC asked him to provide factual evidence with specific and pointed response to type, quantity, nature and manner of poisoning of Yamuna.
The Delhi government, now led by the BJP, has withdrawn all cases filed by the previous AAP administration against the Union government, the Lieutenant Governor, and several senior bureaucrats.
Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party chief Virendra Sachdeva was admitted to the RML Nursing Home on Saturday with complaints of itching and breathing difficulties, two days after he took a dip in the heavily-polluted Yamuna to highlight the alleged failure of the Aam Aadmi Party government to clean the river.
Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal went to the Election Commission's office in New Delhi on Friday and furnished his reply to the poll body over its notice to him on his 'poison mixed' in Yamuna water remark.
The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday slammed the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, asking whether it disputed the Central Pollution Control Board's finding on high levels of faecal coliform being found in the water at various locations in Prayagraj during the ongoing Mahakumbh.
Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday responded to the Election Commission notice over his claim the Haryana government was 'mixing poison' in Yamuna, and said raw water received from the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state in the recent past has been 'highly contaminated and extremely poisonous' for human health.
Kangana Ranaut, who is the BJP candidate from her hometown Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, feels Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an 'ansh' (part) of Lord Ram and Lord Vishnu.
Modi accused Congress and RJD leaders of insulting 'Chhathi Maiyya' to gain votes in the Bihar elections.
Through its programmes, Swechha tries to ensure Delhiites don't forget their dying river.
The Yamuna river gets polluted due to bathing by floating population, throwing flowers, garlands and other worship material as well as the industrial affluent.
'If you keep on irritating the body by allowing all kinds of pollutants to get into it, the body cells are going to get irritated and cancer will come.'
Officials have admitted that the problem of frothing will continue until sewage treatment plants in Delhi are upgraded to meet the new standards.
'Why did they not raise their voice against the pollution in the Yamuna earlier?' 'Why were they quiet for so long against construction and encroachment on the flood plains.'
A temple partially submerged in flood water in Assam's Nagaon district.
Delhi's crime rate against women stood at 144.4 in 2022 -- the highest among all states and Union Territories.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday dismissed concerns regarding faecal contamination in the waters at Triveni Sangam, stating that continuous monitoring and purification processes ensure its quality.
Amid criticism over the formation of foam in the Yamuna -- a sign of its hazardous water quality -- the Delhi government on Tuesday deployed 15 boats to remove the froth with the help of ropes.
The Indian government has stated that the water in the Ganga river at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj was fit for bathing during the recently concluded Maha Kumbh, citing a new report from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The report, however, contradicts an earlier CPCB report that found high faecal coliform levels at several locations in Prayagraj during the Maha Kumbh. The government also highlighted measures taken to ensure water quality during the event, including the installation of sewage treatment plants and the use of advanced oxidation techniques to treat wastewater.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday said she felt like the protagonist of the Hindi movie Nayak after being selected for the post and asserted that it was not a 'lottery' but an honour for all daughters of the country.
A senior Delhi Jal Board (DJB) official on Sunday bathed in water taken from a stretch of the Yamuna where the utility sprayed a chemical to dissipate foam in the river.
A new report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) submitted to the National Green Tribunal has said that the water quality during the recently concluded Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj was fit for bathing, despite earlier reports indicating otherwise. The report, based on statistical analysis of water samples collected during the Kumbh, found that the median values for key parameters like pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and fecal coliform count were within permissible limits. However, the report acknowledges significant variability in data due to factors like upstream activities and sampling conditions. The matter is set for hearing on April 7.
'Till the BJP does not understand Kejriwal they cannot win Delhi.'
Results of the Delhi assembly election are not a vindication of Prime Minister's Narendra Modi's policies but a referendum on Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party, the Congress said on Saturday as it vowed to bounce back from another whitewash.
A parliamentary panel has noted that Yamuna river seems "dirtier" than before despite Rs 6,500 crore having been spent on its clean-up even as a project to lay interceptor sewers along the three major drains of Delhi suffers delays.
The monthly Rs 2500 payment for poor women is expected to cost Rs 11,000 crore while the pension scheme of Rs 2000 for every senior citizen will cost around Rs 4100 crore. The Yamuna clean up will cost over Rs 10,000 crore while a similar amount is required to upgrade Delhi's hospitals. Ultimately, the new BJP government will have no choice but to ask the centre for financial support, notes Rashme Sehgal.
The Punjab government dismissed claims that it owned the car intercepted in Delhi. The vehicle's number plate was forged and fake as it can be tracked to a different car not owned by the Punjab government, it said. The AAP, too, released a statement, saying the car seizure was a "planted stunt, ?poorly executed and utterly bogus".
With such announcements grabbing the voters' attention, critical issues like pollution, especially the smog that chokes Delhi every winter, remain largely unaddressed. Many residents have raised concerns over the lack of concrete action plans to combat air pollution, which continues to pose a severe health risk to Delhiites.
Debutant legislator Rekha Gupta was sworn in as Delhi chief minister along with six ministers on Thursday in a grand show of strength full of colour and spectacle to mark the Bharatiya Janata Party's return to power in the city after more than 26 years.
