‘Hum bohot khush hain… Yamuna maiya mein Chhath manayenge’: Why this year’s Chhath Puja is different in Delhi

“We will finally get to celebrate Chhath in Maa Yamuna ji. Till now, we could only celebrate it in holes dug near the river,” Mandal, who is in his 40s, said, visibly excited to offer prayers on Monday and Tuesday while taking a dip in the water.

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The four-day Chhath celebrations began on Saturday.

For the last five years, devotees have had to make do with immersing themselves in artificial ponds due to restrictions put in place by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Delhi government owing to the river’s polluted state.

This year, the government has permitted devotees to return to the Yamuna for Chhath with a caveat — “only worship will be allowed and no immersions (pooja material or idols)”, turning the riverbank into both a site of faith and a stage for political display.

Workers spray anti-surfactant solution to dissolve toxic foam in River Yamuna at Kalindi Kunj, ahead of Chhath Puja, in New Delhi on Friday (Express/Praveen Khanna)

The festival carries political significance as it is celebrated largely by the Purvanchali community, people from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who make up more than 30% of the city’s population. This time, with the high-stakes Bihar elections slated for November 6 and 11, the BJP has stepped up outreach to the community.

The scale of preparations this year has also placed the festival in the spotlight. Across the city, the government readied the Yamuna banks, with more than 1,000 ghats being developed, including 17 major sites along the river from Palla to Kalindi Kunj — each equipped with tents, lighting, sanitation, and medical facilities.

Cleaning drives have been initiated across the ghats and the river itself. In the week leading up to Chhath, Haryana’s Irrigation and Water Resources Department, in coordination with Delhi authorities, also diverted nearly the entire discharge from the Hathnikund Barrage into the Yamuna while sharply reducing canal flows into the Western and Eastern Yamuna Canals up to October 26 — a rare move to ensure cleaner water for the celebrations.

On the ground

On Thursday (October 23) evening, 10 boats worked the stretch of the Yamuna near Kalindi Kunj, their engines sputtering as they sprayed defoaming chemicals as part of the Delhi Jal Board’s (DJB) “Froth Suppression Drive”.

To be sure, the government had asserted that the river would see a “froth-free” Chhath this year.

To be sure, the government had asserted that the river would see a “froth-free” Chhath this year (Express Photo)

Much of the river in front of the ghat looked clear, though some froth still clung to the water under the Noida-Kalindi Kunj bridge.

At Sonia Vihar, devotees were marking their “Chhath sthal” along the banks. Bamboo barricades were installed a few metres into the river to mark the safe zone for devotees, while DJB workers levelled the banks and cleared debris throughout the day.

“Manoj Tiwari (BJP MP) came here yesterday (on October 22) to check the arrangements, and the government is doing everything they can to make it a grand celebration,” said Rohit Yadav, 38, a resident of Sonia Vihar who hails from Ballia district in eastern Uttar Pradesh, bordering Bihar.

“Sabse badda thyohar hamara hein Chhath Parv… Hum log toh bohot khush hain ki iss baar Yamuna maiya mein Chhath manayenge (Chhath is our most important festival… We are very happy that finally we will be celebrating Chhath in the Yamuna river)”, he added.

Downstream at ITO ghat, half a dozen earthmovers and a couple of Poclain machines moved along the riverbank, while a trash skimmer worked in the water to clear floating waste and sludge.

“When we started, the ghat was in terrible shape,” said Kali Charan, the DJB contractor overseeing cleaning work. “We couldn’t even stand here… the keechad (mud) came up to our knees. It took days to clear enough to start levelling.”

Around him, workers sifted through the sand picking up waste — discarded flowers, plastic bags along the bank.

The ITO ghat, categorised by officials as the city’s main VIP site, was among the busiest along the Yamuna, with a pavilion being set up for special guests expected to visit during the festival.

Baristeer Singh, the organising secretary of the Chhath Puja Samiti, said the community’s demand for better facilities was long overdue. “If kanwariyas can get it, then why can’t arrangements be made for us?” he said.

The members added that mats would be spread a few metres into the water, allowing those observing the fast to stand on firm, levelled sand rather than slippery mud. Special facilities will also be arranged for those fasting, Singh said, adding that around 50-80 Samiti volunteers will manage the crowd. The footfall is expected to touch nearly a lakh this year, according to the Samiti members.

How clean is the river?

Experts, however, have raised concerns over the impact of large-scale Chhath preparations on the river and public health.

Bhim Singh Rawat of the South Asian Network on Dams, Rivers and People, pointed out that the use of earthmovers and large machinery along the Yamuna’s banks is causing further damage.

Downstream at ITO ghat, half a dozen earthmovers and a couple of Poclain machines moved along the riverbank to level it (Express/Devansh Mittal)

“The riverbed soil is naturally soft and spongy, but by trying to harden it for temporary structures, we are disrupting water percolation and uplifting silt that ultimately flows back into the river. This… will be counterproductive to the large-scale desilting drives by the Delhi government…”

As per the January 2015 NGT judgment in Manoj Misra vs Union of India, “construction of new bunds, roads and guide bunds, widening of existing bunds, spurs and guide bunds within the active floodplains should be stopped and banned.” It has also said: “No filling of the floodplain/riverbeds be allowed in the name of development and renovation of ghats.”

He added, “Instead of encouraging massive gatherings right at the riverbank, local administrations should create artificial ponds for rituals. If the government and citizens truly care for the river and their own health, they must stop altering the natural riverscape.”

Pankaj Kumar, a Yamuna activist, said, “The bathing standards are met only in Palla and in no other location, as per the latest DPCC report… We (the government) are inviting a health crisis…”

He added, “Please don’t encourage people to drink this water. I am also from Bihar; Chhath should be celebrated, but isn’t there any alternative? It is illogical and unscientific to spend hours in the Yamuna when the river water is not even fit for bathing.”

Prep at Hathi ghat in ITO on Saturday (Express/Amit Mehra)

According to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s September 2025 water quality analysis, the Yamuna’s condition had reached its cleanest levels since records have been made available from 2013, coinciding with high flood flows between August 31 and September 4.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) at the ITO bridge dropped to 4 mg/L, close to the desirable limit of less than or equal to 3 mg/L, while Dissolved Oxygen (DO) ranged between 3.7 and 5.1 mg/L from ITO to Okhla. The desired minimum is 5 mg/l.

This was also the first time sampling was done in the middle of a high flood-spell event.

Compared to last month, however, the water quality seems to have taken a hit.

Going by the DPCC’s latest report after sampling on October 20, several parameters appear to have dipped.

At ITO bridge, the DO level was 1.6 mg/l, while BOD rose to 20 mg/l. Fecal Coliform Concentration reached 7,100 MPN/100 ml, nearly three times higher than the acceptable 2,500 MPN/100 ml ceiling.

Further downstream, conditions worsened. At Okhla Barrage, DO dropped to 1.0 mg/l, and at Asgarpur, it plummeted to 0.8 mg/l.

For bathing purposes, Ammoniacal Nitrogen must be equal or less than 1.2 mg/l. However, it was 1.4 mg/l at Asgarpur.

Overall, all major monitoring sites within the 22-km Delhi stretch (Wazirabad to Okhla) showed oxygen depletion and heavy bacterial contamination, indicating continued organic pollution.

Rawat also said even organic puja materials can harm the river’s health, as their decomposition consumes oxygen in an ecosystem already lacking adequate dissolved oxygen levels. “When such waste enters the river, it deprives aquatic life of oxygen and causes severe downstream impacts, including foul odour.”

Like Pankaj, he, too, pointed to adverse health risks for devotees. “Even though defoaming chemicals are used, the present state of the river is not safe… there is also no independent study on the effectiveness of such large-scale use of the chemical. Devotees can get skin rashes, itching, and eye burning. People should avoid doing achman (ritual sipping) at any cost, be it out of devotion or stunt.”

The festival, meanwhile, only grows more popular each year.

Over the past two decades, Chhath has grown in importance in the national capital, eclipsing even other major festivals to become one of Delhi’s largest community celebrations.

Organisers said the festival cuts across caste and community lines. “Artisans from the Dom community make the baskets used for offerings, milk is supplied by Kori families (both Scheduled Caste), and potters craft the earthen utensils… everyone contributes and celebrates together,” said R K Singh, general secretary of the organising committee at ITO ghat.