Delhi CM Rekha Gupta promises devotees a froth-free Yamuna this Chhath

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday said women in the city will celebrate Chhath this year by offering prayers to the sun god in a Yamuna free of filth and froth.

Inspecting preparations for the festival at the Kalindi Kunj Ghat riverfront ahead of the festival from October 25-28, she said there was dense froth on Yamuna under the previous AAP regime and devotees had to stand in polluted waters.

"Now, you can see the clean water under the BJP government's preparations... there is no filth or froth in the water," Gupta said, adding that her government was alert.

"This time, women holding the Chhath fast will offer 'arghya' to the sun god in clean Yamuna water... they will not face any filth or froth," she said.

Hundreds of Delhi government employees have been deployed to maintain cleanliness, the chief minister said.

Referring to opposition allegations of froth on the Yamuna water, Gupta said the reality was before everyone to see, notwithstanding "fake videos" posted on social media.

The river is being treated in a completely eco-friendly way, without any negative effects on either the water or the living beings in it, she claimed.

Froth appears on the surface of the Yamuna due to chemicals in the untreated sewage and industrial effluent discharged into it.

Chhath is celebrated by Purvanchali people settled in Delhi in large numbers, six days after Diwali. The three-day festival requires women to fast and offer cow milk and Ganga water as "arghya" (an offering) to the setting and rising sun.