Dead Fish Found In Yamuna's Sonia Vihar Stretch, BJP And AAP Trade Charges

The discovery of a large number of dead fish floating in the Yamuna near Delhi's Sonia Vihar has raised fresh concerns over river pollution, triggering a political confrontation between the BJP-led Delhi government and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The exact cause of the fish deaths remains unconfirmed.

Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma accused AAP of deliberately dumping dead fish into the river to malign the government ahead of the Chhath festival scheduled for November 15 and 16.

Verma alleged that some people were purchasing dead fish from markets and throwing them into the river before circulating videos on social media. He said an investigation would be conducted to identify those responsible and establish whether they had links with AAP workers.

Hitting back, senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said the incident had exposed the government's claims of cleaning the Yamuna. He questioned why the authorities were blaming the opposition instead of investigating the deaths and determining whether pollution or harmful chemicals had contaminated the water.

Local residents alleged that polluted discharge from a leather tannery was responsible for the fish deaths, claiming that the problem recurs when water is released into the river near the Hathnikund Barrage.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has approached Delhi Police, seeking an FIR against unidentified individuals allegedly spreading misinformation on social media about chemical dumping in the river.

Environmental experts said sudden mass fish deaths could indicate a sharp rise in contaminants or toxic discharge. They called for immediate laboratory testing to establish the cause and identify the source of pollution.

The incident follows the discovery of hundreds of dead fish along the Yamuna riverbank in north Delhi's Burari less than a month ago.

The latest deaths come a day after Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated a cruise service between Sonia Vihar and Jagatpur to promote river tourism. The 4-5 km ride costs Rs 500 and lasts around 40 minutes.