Watch: Delhi water board official bathes in Yamuna river in response to BJP leaders’ challenge
The BJP leaders had said that the water in the river is toxic and blamed the water board for it.
Days after Delhi BJP leaders asked if authorities spraying chemical defoamer will take a dip in Yamuna, and who will be responsible if Chhath puja devotees are harmed, Delhi Jal Board (DJB) quality control director Sanjay Sharma took up the challenge and took a bath with the river water.
Ahead of Chhath festivals, authorities of the DJB began preparations by using chemicals to diffuse the toxic forth seen floating on the river surface, filled with industrial waste. However, during the clean-up drive, BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma and colleague Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga turned up at Yamuna banks in Kalandi Kunj and was seen hurling abuses and yelling at the officials for “poisoning” the river. Video of their altercation shortly went viral, where Verma was also seen threatening to pour the chemical defoamer on the official, according to The Indian Express. As the video went viral, ruling Aam Aadmi Party alleged that the BJP leaders were stopping Chhath Puja preparations.
On the use of the chemical to control the foam, the official was, however, heard in the video explaining that the chemical used in the procedure is approved by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has also been cleared by National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for the use, according to NDTV.