Locals Say the Government Is Not Doing Enough
Indian authorities say they have dispatched motorboats to try and clear up the river and built bamboo barricades to keep the foam from flowing downstream. The Delhi government released a plan earlier this year to address pollution and foam problems, but opponents in Congress have said the government is still not doing enough.
Laws have been passed against polluting the river, but agricultural and industrial manufacturers continue to dump pollutants in the Yamuna regardless. Untreated sewage and other household pollutants from residents adds to the problem. New Delhi’s sanitation system is woefully inadequate, and only 55% of the city’s residents in the urban center—9.9 million people—have access to a centralized sewer system.
“We have told the government so many times about this,” another unnamed local Yamuna bather told India Today. “But they do nothing.”
