October 27, 2025

The Yamuna River in Delhi is looking like a giant bathtub full of froth, alarming everyone! This froth is not magic but pollution, mostly from detergents filled with surfactants. When water gates at Okhla barrage open, dirty water and sludge mix, creating thick foam that worries both experts and residents. A recent study by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), hired by the Delhi government, reveals this frothing shows a bigger water crisis needing a strong, combined effort from many departments. TERI’s clever plan, reported in TOI, targets each source of pollution carefully. It suggests making the State Mission for Clean Yamuna (SMCY) stronger so all agencies work smoothly together. The study also pushes to review the 1994 Yamuna water-sharing agreement to keep enough water flowing, so pollution can be diluted. These findings will be shared in Delhi Assembly’s winter session to raise public awareness. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) must now check water for more bad stuff like ammonia and phosphate, which cause froth from detergents. The plan calls for regular checks on laundry areas (Dhobi Ghats), installing small sewage treatment plants (STPs) where pollution is high, and promoting cleaner detergents with less phosphate. They want more eco-friendly detergents using zeolite and enzymes to fight the froth culprit. The Irrigation and Flood Control Department (IFCD) has got a cool job: installing aerators upstream of Okhla barrage to keep oxygen up and foam down. Webcams will watch barrage gates live, and water hyacinth plants causing foam will be removed often. Delhi Jal Board (DJB) must expand sewage treatment to stop dirty water from spilling into Yamuna. Many STPs now do not follow rules, so stricter checks and new technologies like Biological Nutrient Removal and Advanced Oxidation Processes will come in. Plus, online monitors will track polluted drains. More help is on the way with strict rules for industrial waste by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, new treatment plants in industrial areas by Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation, and micro-STPs in unauthorized colonies by Delhi Development Authority. This multi-level action aims for lasting clean water. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa praised the TERI study and promised, "The recommendations made by the study are very helpful and pave the way for cleaning the river. We will use the results and suggestions and plug the gaps highlighted to ensure effective action." TERI director Nupur Bahadur added that if all departments act together quickly and well, frothing can be stopped, pollution lowered, and the Yamuna saved. Is Delhi ready for this daring river rescue? The frothing battle has just begun!

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Tags: Yamuna froth, Pollution control, Teri study, Detergents pollution, Delhi environment, River rejuvenation,