Poison in Yamuna: Saini accuses Kejriwal of trying to commit mass genocide

New Delhi: Amidst the ongoing political feud over Arvind Kejriwal’s ‘Haryana mixing poison in Yamuna’ claim, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday accused AAP supremo of attempting to commit mass genocide. 

During a public address, CM Saini vehemently criticised Kejriwal, stating, "Kejriwal is making baseless allegations to hide his failures... Kejriwal had said that he will clean the Yamuna river but he did not clean it and Kejriwal has done the work of making it dirty." 

Saini emphasised that Haryana is providing clean water to Delhi, and accused Kejriwal of neglecting the river's cleanliness which has resulted in the people of Delhi being forced to consume contaminated water. 

He further alleged that Kejriwal's remarks about mass genocide were irresponsible, holding him solely responsible for any such catastrophic scenario.

Saini demanded an apology from Kejriwal to the people of both Delhi and Haryana for his failure over the past decade to address the pollution effectively.

#WATCH | Delhi: Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini says, "...Kejriwal is making baseless allegations to hide his failures...Kejriwal had said that he will clean the Yamuna river but he did not clean it and Kejriwal has done the work of making it dirty. We are giving clean water. And… pic.twitter.com/rZpMrwVo1b

— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2025

Recent data shared by Info In Data on social media platform X has revealed a stark contrast in the river's condition before and after it passes through Delhi. 

The video titled "Who Is 'Actually' Poisoning Our Yamuna River?" highlighted that upon entering Delhi, the river's Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) is at 2 mg/l, but this increases dramatically to 85 mg/l as it exits the city. Similarly, ammonia levels rise from 5.5 mg/l to 56.1 mg/l, showcasing the significant pollution contribution from Delhi over just a 22 km stretch of the river, which is vital for over 57 million people.

Despite the Yamuna Action Plan, which has been in operation since 1993, aimed at restoring the river's health, the efforts have been largely unsuccessful due to the persistent issue of untreated sewage and industrial waste being discharged into the river. The pollution in Delhi accounts for about 80% of the total pollution in this stretch, contradicting Kejriwal's allegations against Haryana.

Kejriwal, currently out on bail in connection with the Delhi liquor scam, has been actively engaging with electoral politics. He recently visited the Election Commission office to submit his reply to a notice concerning his controversial remarks about the Yamuna water. In his reply, he defended his statement by pointing out the "unprecedented high levels of ammonia in the raw water" supplied from Haryana, suggesting it was in this context that he mentioned 'poison'. 

He further accused CM Saini of orchestrating a conspiracy to influence the upcoming February 5 Delhi Assembly polls by sending polluted water to the capital.

Accompanied by Delhi and Punjab Chief Ministers Atishi and Bhagwant Mann, Kejriwal submitted a six-page written reply to the Chief Election Commissioner, where he also mentioned that the 'poison' he referred to was ammonia. He directed the Election Commission to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) for further details on the evidence and methodology behind his claims.