Manoj Tiwari swims, takes sip from 'clean' Yamuna
What's the story
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Manoj Tiwari took a swim in the Yamuna river at Sonia Vihar, New Delhi, on Thursday, even taking a sip, claiming that the river's pollution had reduced under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's leadership. He said people can now celebrate Chhath Puja in the Yamuna once again. "How can we not appreciate the work that has been done here? I will tell Arvind Kejriwal that this is all a sign of cleanliness," he said.
Birds
'There might be crocodile in water here...'
The BJP MP from the North East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency also said the presence of migratory birds at certain stretches of the river is a sign of an improvement in its condition.
"These birds would not have come here if the river wasn't clean," he said, adding that "there might be crocodile in water here but crocodiles come only in clean water."
Twitter Post
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केजरीवाल जी और राहुल गांधी जी, यह रील नहीं, हकीकत है।
— Manoj Tiwari (@ManojTiwariMP) October 29, 2026
यह दिल्ली की ही यमुना जी हैं। आज मैंने यहाँ स्नान भी किया और आचमन भी किया।
केजरीवाल जी राहुल गांधी जी आप कब आ रहे हो डुबकी लगाने?@ArvindKejriwal @RahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/cjrvQNUCqN
Political response
AAP challenges Tiwari to drink river water
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has challenged Tiwari's claims about the Yamuna's cleanliness.
Party workers alleged that the water was heavily polluted and black, accusing him of staging "theatrics" as Chhath approached.
They claimed Tiwari had taken the dip during the Yamuna Ghat cleaning drive and his claim that he drank the water was "completely false."
The AAP dared Tiwari to drink water from a point where drain water flows into the river and livestream it on social media platforms.
Pollution data
DPCC report shows river heavily polluted
The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) report for September 2026 shows that Yamuna's water quality has worsened despite monsoon rains.
The river stretch between Palla and Wazirabad barrage, where Tiwari swam, is relatively cleaner, but downstream Wazirabad is heavily polluted.
The report said at ISBT Bridge, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) shot up from 8mg/l to 30mg/l year-on-year. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) also increased from 44mg/l to 92mg/l during the same period.
Festival impact
Political issue ahead of Chhath
The Yamuna's pollution levels have always been a political issue ahead of Chhath, as devotees enter the river for rituals.
In October 2024, then Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva had also taken a dip in the river to target the AAP government over its condition.
The stretch between Palla and Wazirabad gets fresh water from Hathini Kund barrage during festivals like Chhath, flushing out pollutants. However, this stretch is not immune to pollution.