Delhi: BJP MLA Ravi Negi falls into Yamuna during reel shoot on cleanup drive - watch

NEW DELHI: BJP MLA Ravi Negi slipped and fell into the Yamuna River while shooting a reel on the river-cleaning drive. Negi was quickly rescued by his team and escaped unhurt.Earlier on Saturday, The Delhi government has claimed a significant improvement in the quality of Yamuna river water ahead of the Chhath festival this year.

Citing data on faecal coliform bacteria levels, Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma said the river’s condition has improved compared to last year.

At a joint press conference with Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Verma said the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) collected Yamuna water samples on October 9 and 20 from eight locations, including Palla, Wazirabad Barrage, Okhla Barrage, ITO, and the Yamuna Canal.

According to the data shared, the concentration of faecal coliform bacteria at Nizamuddin dropped sharply to 7,900 units per 100 millilitres this year, compared to 11 lakh units last year. Similar improvements were recorded at other points: from 920 to 600 units at Palla, from 16,000 to 800 at Wazirabad, and from 35,000 to 7,000 at ITO. At ISBT, the bacterial count declined from 28,000 units in 2024 to 8,000 this year.

The count also fell from 18 lakh to 2,700 units at Okhla and from 22 lakh to 1,600 at Agra Canal. Verma attributed these improvements to the government’s efforts, including the removal of 20 lakh metric tonnes of silt from key drains to enhance water flow and reduce pollutant accumulation. Verma took aim at the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), accusing it of spreading misinformation about Yamuna pollution. He alleged that no DPCC reports were made public during AAP’s tenure and that the current administration, led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, has taken proactive steps to clean the river and prepare for Chhath celebrations. In response, AAP’s Delhi unit president Saurabh Bhardwaj shared a DPCC report dated October 23, claiming the Yamuna water remained unfit for bathing and contained alarming levels of human waste. He also alleged that the Haryana government had diverted water from the Eastern Yamuna Canal for a week, warning that pollution levels might rise once the diversion ends. Verma countered Bhardwaj’s remarks, asserting that the AAP leader “selectively” presented data. He pointed out that during AAP’s tenure, locations like Asgarpur had faecal coliform levels as high as 80 lakh units, while this year the level has dropped to 8,000 — which he called “a clear reflection” of the current government’s work.