New Delhi, 18 October (H.S.): Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday participated in a mega cleanliness drive organised under the ‘Chalo Yamuna Abhiyan’, with extensive cleaning activities carried out at 70 locations along the Yamuna river and its surrounding areas across the national capital.

Thousands of young people, resident welfare associations (RWAs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), social organisations and public representatives joined the campaign, contributing their time and effort to cleaning the riverbanks and ghats.

Leading the initiative, Gupta said the enthusiastic participation of young people, RWAs and social organisations reflected the people of Delhi’s faith in the Yamuna and their sense of responsibility towards its preservation. She noted that citizens were participating in cleanliness activities along both banks of the river and emphasised that the goal of restoring the Yamuna’s cleanliness could be achieved only through active public participation alongside government efforts.

The campaign extended beyond cleaning the river and its ghats. It also aimed to raise public awareness about the importance of protecting the Yamuna and encouraging people to incorporate cleanliness and environmental responsibility into their daily lives.

The Chief Minister urged residents to join the public initiative and become ‘Yamuna Praharis’—guardians of the river—by contributing to its cleanliness and conservation. She stressed that cleanliness should not be viewed merely as a campaign but adopted as a way of life.

During the drive, volunteers found substantial quantities of religious offerings, garments used to dress deities, damaged idols, worship materials and other waste along the riverbanks. Gupta observed that people often leave religious offerings and sacred objects near the river for immersion, contributing to pollution.

She said that respect for the Yamuna should be reflected not only in religious devotion but also in a collective commitment to preserving its cleanliness and ecological health.

The Chief Minister appealed to residents not to leave religious offerings, garments used for deities, damaged idols, plastic wrappers or other waste in the river or on its ghats. She called for changes in public behaviour to prevent waste from entering the water and reiterated that responsibility for keeping the Yamuna clean rested with society as a whole, rather than any single government department or organisation.

Gupta also outlined the Delhi government’s ongoing efforts to address the sources of river pollution. She said work had begun on establishing sewage treatment plants (STPs) and decentralised sewage treatment facilities to treat wastewater entering drains that discharge into the Yamuna. Desilting operations were also continuing across Delhi’s drainage network.

According to the Chief Minister, millions of tonnes of silt had been removed from drains during the previous year. She said the government was prioritising the necessary measures to clean the river and tackle the sources of pollution more effectively.

Concluding her appeal, Gupta said collective action could become a catalyst for meaningful change when thousands of citizens worked towards a shared objective. She described the ‘Chalo Yamuna Abhiyan’ as an expression of this collective commitment, emphasising that every citizen had an important role to play in protecting the river.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar