Delhi CM Rekha Gupta leads Yamuna cleanliness drive at 70 locations
Synopsis
Thousands of Delhi residents joined Chief Minister Rekha Gupta at 70 Yamuna ghats on Sunday under the 'Ek Sankalp, Swachh Yamuna' banner — the BJP-led government's biggest public mobilisation yet on river pollution. Gupta pointed to tonnes of ritual immersion waste as a key pollutant, while the party targeted the previous AAP government for inaction on the river's 33-km stretch through the capital.
Key Takeaways
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta led the 'Ek Sankalp, Swachh Yamuna' cleanliness drive on 18 October 2026 .
The campaign was held simultaneously at 70 locations across Delhi, drawing residents, students, RWAs, and NGOs.
Gupta identified ritual immersion waste — deity clothes, broken idols, worship materials — as a major source of Yamuna pollution.
Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra said the government has a plan to clean the 33-km Yamuna stretch through Delhi.
Minister Parvesh Verma confirmed construction of STPs and household sewer connections is underway alongside the public drive.
The previous AAP government was criticised for allegedly failing to produce a concrete Yamuna clean-up action plan.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday, 18 October 2026, joined thousands of residents in a large-scale cleanliness drive along the Yamuna river under the 'Ek Sankalp, Swachh Yamuna' campaign, urging citizens to treat cleanliness as a way of life and to collectively halt the river's growing pollution.
Campaign Scale and Participation
The drive was simultaneously organised at 70 locations across the national capital, drawing participation from Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), students, NGOs, and social organisations. Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma, Patparganj MLA Ravinder Singh Negi, South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, and Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra also joined drives at various ghats, with Verma and Negi inspecting river ghats by boat.
Verma noted that participants had arrived not just from Delhi but also from neighbouring Noida, calling the turnout a voluntary, city-wide response. 'All of Delhi has arrived. Right now, I can see people have even come from Noida. There are the kids, college students. Everyone is from NGOs, all Resident Welfare Associations are here,' he said.
What CM Gupta Said
'This is a joyful occasion for all of us. When the 'Chalo Yamuna' call was made under the Yamuna Cleanliness Campaign, thousands of young people from Delhi, along with thousands of RWAs and other social service organisations, participated in it,' Chief Minister Gupta said at the event.
Gupta drew attention to a specific source of river pollution she observed during the drive. 'I noticed that mostly clothes of deities, broken idols, and worship materials were lying around. Tonnes of these materials and remains are left behind by people for immersion in the river, causing the Yamuna to become increasingly polluted,' she said, calling on citizens to adopt responsible everyday practices.
Government Infrastructure Push
Minister Verma emphasised that the public campaign was designed to complement ongoing government infrastructure work, including the construction of sewage treatment plants (STPs) and household sewer connections. 'We will also ensure that we do not dirty the ghats,' he added.
Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra stated that the Gupta-led government had drawn up a plan to clean the 33-km stretch of the Yamuna flowing through Delhi. He alleged that the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, under former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, had politicised the river-cleaning issue and failed to prepare a concrete action plan.
Background and Broader Context
The Yamuna has long been ranked among India's most polluted rivers, its condition in Delhi worsening particularly during festival seasons when large quantities of ritual material are immersed in the water. Successive governments — both at the state and Centre — have announced clean-up programmes over the decades with limited measurable success. The 'Ek Sankalp, Swachh Yamuna' campaign marks the new BJP-led Delhi government's most visible public mobilisation on the issue since taking office, with the twin focus on behavioural change and infrastructure upgrades intended to signal a different approach from its predecessor.
The campaign's next steps — including timelines for STP completion and independently verified pollution metrics — will be closely watched as a measure of whether the drive translates into durable improvement for the river.
Point of View
Swachh Yamuna' drive is as much a political statement as an environmental one — the BJP using visible mass mobilisation to draw a sharp contrast with a decade of AAP governance on the river. Gupta's focus on ritual immersion waste is a legitimate pollution point, but it sidestepped harder questions: industrial effluent discharge and sewage outfalls account for a far larger share of Yamuna's pollution load than religious material. The STP and sewer-connection infrastructure cited by Verma has been promised by multiple Delhi governments before; what is missing is a public timeline and independent measurement of outcomes. Without those, this campaign risks being remembered as a photo opportunity rather than a turning point for one of India's most degraded urban rivers.
NationPress
18 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 'Ek Sankalp, Swachh Yamuna' campaign?
It is a Yamuna river cleanliness initiative launched by the Delhi BJP government, aimed at encouraging public participation in keeping the river and its ghats free of waste alongside government infrastructure measures such as sewage treatment plants and household sewer connections. The campaign's 18 October drive was held at 70 locations across Delhi.
What did Delhi CM Rekha Gupta say about Yamuna pollution?
Chief Minister Gupta said that tonnes of ritual immersion material — including deity clothes, broken idols, and worship items — are left at the river by people, causing increasing pollution. She called on citizens to treat cleanliness as a way of life and adopt responsible daily practices.
Who participated in the 18 October Yamuna drive?
Thousands of residents, students, RWAs, and NGOs participated across 70 locations. Senior BJP leaders including CM Rekha Gupta, Minister Parvesh Verma, Patparganj MLA Ravinder Singh Negi, South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, and Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra all attended at various ghats.
What infrastructure steps is the Delhi government taking to clean the Yamuna?
The government is constructing sewage treatment plants (STPs) and setting up household sewer connections to reduce untreated sewage entering the river. The public cleanliness drive is intended to complement rather than replace these infrastructure measures.
What is the BJP's criticism of the previous AAP government on the Yamuna?
Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra alleged that the previous Aam Aadmi Party government under Arvind Kejriwal politicised the Yamuna issue and failed to produce a concrete action plan. He said the current Rekha Gupta-led government has now prepared a plan to clean the 33-km stretch of the Yamuna flowing through Delhi.
