Days before the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) takes charge in Delhi, a large-scale effort to clean the heavily polluted Yamuna River has commenced. Launched on Sunday, the initiative follows a structured four-pronged approach aimed at restoring the river within three years. Trash skimmers, weed harvesters, and dredgers have already been deployed to remove waste and silt from the river.

Cleaning the Yamuna was a key promise in the BJP’s election manifesto. The party assured voters that its government in Delhi would collaborate with the central government to develop a modern riverfront and establish the Yamuna Kosh, a dedicated fund for the river’s restoration. During the BJP’s victory celebrations on February 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed his commitment to making the Yamuna pollution-free.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena, in a meeting with senior officials on Saturday, directed immediate action on the cleanup plan. The strategy focuses on four key areas: removing debris and silt, strengthening sewage treatment, ensuring inter-departmental coordination, and enforcing strict regulatory oversight. Weekly monitoring at the highest levels has been planned to ensure the initiative’s smooth execution.

Previous efforts to clean the Yamuna have failed to deliver results. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government pledged to rejuvenate the river in 2015, yet a decade later, pollution remains a significant problem. Reports indicate that between 2015 and 2021, approximately ₹6,856.91 crore was spent on cleanup initiatives, but no tangible improvement was recorded. In 2015, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered the construction of 32 additional sewage treatment plants (STPs), but by 2019, none were completed due to land acquisition issues and unrealistic deadlines. The absence of a coordinated approach and inter-state disputes, particularly with Haryana over the release of untreated water, further complicated the issue.

A large-scale rejuvenation project was launched in January 2023 under a high-level committee (HLC) chaired by LG Saxena. However, AAP opposed the committee, arguing that it encroached on state jurisdiction. The legal dispute led to the Supreme Court halting the project’s operations in July 2023.

The BJP’s Viksit Delhi Sankalp Patra outlines a comprehensive roadmap for the Yamuna’s revival, including expanding sewage treatment capacity to 1,000 MGD and increasing common effluent treatment to 220 million litres per day (MLD). With a decisive victory in the Delhi Assembly elections on February 5, securing 48 out of 70 seats, the BJP now moves forward with its ambitious plan to restore the Yamuna.

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