Delhi: Parvesh Sahib Singh hits back at AAP over cleanliness of Yamuna, claims reduced faecal coliform

New Delhi [India], October 26 (ANI): Delhi Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh on Saturday hit back at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s allegation over cleanliness in the Yamuna River, claiming a reduction in faecal coliform level under the BJP government in Delhi, ahead of Chhath Puja.
After AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj shared the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) report, calling the River Yamuna unfit for bathing, the Delhi minister cited the same report to claim that the river is cleaner under the BJP regime.
Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Parvesh Saheb Singh said, "Chhath festival is coming. Festivals are being celebrated with joy since the BJP formed a government in Delhi. The Opposition is creating a ruckus over the DPCC report. I also have the report for 2024. When the AAP leaders say that the Yamuna has not been cleaned, they are not raising a question on us but rather on themselves."
"Delhi Chief Minister, ministers, MLAs, MLCs and BJP leaders are inspecting Chhath ghats. Almost all Chhath ghats are ready, even if there is registration or not. In 2024, the faecal coliform level in Palla was 920, which is 600 today. In Wazirabad, it reduced from 16,000 to 800. At ISBT Bridge, it reduced from 28,000 to 8,000. In ITO, it reduced from 35,000 to 7,000. At Nizamuddin Bridge, it was at 11 lakh MPN per 100 ml to 7,900. 500 MPN is desirable, while 2500 is the maximum permissible category. At Okhla Barrage, it was 18 lakhs, which is reduced to 2,700. In the Agra canal, it reduced from 22 lakhs to 1600. This has happened in the last seven months," he said.
He also said that the government aims to reduce the sewage deficit of 400 million gallons per day (mgd).
"We are fulfilling our sewage treatment deficit for cleaning the River Yamuna. 400 mgd sewage treatment deficit in Delhi, which means the amount of sewage treated is 400 mgd less than the sewage produced," Singh added.
Meanwhile, Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa slammed AAP for "lying", claiming improvement in the Air Quality Index as compared to last year.
He said, "Lying is in their nature. Like Yamuna's water got better, the air quality has also improved. The AQI under the Rekha Gupta-led government is also reducing. On the next day of Diwali, during their regime, AQI was 316, which is reduced this year. On the third day, it reached 382, while under our government, it reduced to 305. There was a ban on crackers, but still the AQI was increasing."
This comes after AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj shared the DPCC report, claiming that the River Yamuna is not suitable for bathing.
In an X post, Bharadwaj wrote, "As per the report dated 23.10.2025 of Delhi Govt's DPCC, the water in Yamuna is NOT even suitable for bathing. This report shows Yamuna water is very polluted and contains human waste (potty) in alarming quantity."
"Imagine, BJP leaders, for their false propaganda & Bihar elections, want poor purvanchali kids to even drink this water. Poor kids can fall very sick, and they can even die. This is in spite of the fact that the Haryana Govt has diverted all the water of the Eastern Yamuna canal into the Yamuna for 7 days. So after 7 days, Pollution will turn worse and the BJP will again stand exposed," he wrote.
The cleanliness of the Yamuna on the occasion of Chhath Puja has become a political issue in the national capital.
The four-day Chhath Mahaparv, dedicated to the worship of the Sun God, begins today with the sacred ritual of Nahay-Khay.
This year, the festival will be celebrated from October 25 to 28, with rituals including Nahay-Khay on Chaturthi Tithi of Kartik Shukla Paksha, Kharna on Panchami, Chhath Puja on Sashti, and concluding Usha Arghya on Saptami. (ANI)