For a clean Yamuna even after Delhi polls

Apart from getting him an EC summon at the eve of Delhi elections, Arvind Kejriwal's claim that the Haryana government has been poisoning the Yamuna - which he elaborated as having high levels of ammonia - could have created public panic. But his claims should turn the spotlight on the low priority given to provision one of the most basic of services - access to clean water. Tackling pollution is a matter of protecting public health. Failure of an administration to take measures to protect public health can't be overlooked.

Effectively, 'clean Yamuna' is being used as bait dangled as an electoral promise, forgotten soon after the votes have come home. The issue of increase in the levels of pollutants - in this case, ammonia - raised by Kejriwal barely a week before elections does not provide any answers to questions critical to public health: is this a one-off observation? If not, why has it not been raised before by the AAP Delhi government? Has the source of excess ammonia been identified? Absence of answers makes the claim look like an effort to divest any responsibility that the state has towards providing residents with a clean river ecosystem and potable water.

A polluted river reflects an administration's failure, and corresponding apathy, to provide safe, healthy and productive mechanisms such as effective waste management and treatment, separate sewage and stormwater disposal, proper disposal of effluents, and treatment systems. Addressing pollution requires a focus on sustained action that prioritises prevention. Pointing fingers and making allegations may make for useful electoral strategy. But what Delhi's electorate deserves is actually a clean river and safe, easy access to water, an increasingly precious commodity.