AAP blames Har industrial waste for Yamuna pollution

New Delhi : Delhi is grappling with severe water shortage due to alarmingly high ammonia contamination in the Yamuna river, primarily attributed to industrial waste from Haryana, AAP alleged on Sunday. With the water treatment plants (WTPs) at Sonia Vihar and Bhagirathi struggling to cope with the ammonia content in the Yamuna's raw water, supply in the national capital is being disrupted, it said.

The Delhi Jal Board on Sunday announced water shortage till November 1 in several parts of the national capital due to the Yamuna's high ammonia content. "The raw water source of Delhi's 110 MGD (million gallons per day) Bhagirathi WTP and 140 MGD Sonia Vihar WTP is the Upper Ganga Canal, Muradnagar, Uttar Pradesh.

Vinay Mishra, the Delhi Jal Board vice-president, raised concerns about the Yamuna's water quality, revealing that its ammonia content had surged to 0.9 parts per million (ppm) -- well above the safe threshold of 0.5 ppm for effective treatment.

This contamination has resulted in a 25-30 per cent reduction in water production, severely impacting supply to Delhi residents, he said. Accusing the BJP-led Haryana government, Mishra claimed political animosity towards AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had led to the Yamuna's pollution being neglected.

"The Haryana government has become hostile, disregarding the wellbeing of Delhi's people," he said, alleging that industrial waste being dumped into the river in the neighbouring state was a major contributing factor to its pollution.

He assured Delhi residents that the Jal Board was actively seeking solutions, announcing plans for discussions with Haryana officials to address the problem.