NEW DELHI, NIAY 28. Taking its " Save Yamuna" campaign a step further, the Delhi Government has decided to put up colourful signboards with messages on all bridges across the river here to discourage people from throw-ing garbage into this most polluted stretch.

Part of a five-day drive by the State Environment Department which will culminate on World Environment Day, June 5, this event will mark the beginning of a three-day "Yamuna Shramdaan". It will also see the release of "Greening Delhi Action Plan" and a status report on "Air Quality in Delhi".

A massive plantation drive will also be undertaken at seven points along the riverbank. Led by the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, and her Ministers, non-government organisations, residents’ welfare associations and school children would throng the riverbanks for the "Yamuna Shramdaan".

Early on Monday morning, Ms. Dikshit will launch the campaign to install sign-boards on the ITO, Nizamuddin and ISBT bridges. The colourful signboards in Hindi and English will exhort people to keep the Yamuna clean. Children from Government and public schools will also form an "environment chain" at ITO.

Ms. Dikshit said her Government’s "Green Delhi" drive had received a big boost as Delhi Development Authority had agreed to hand over 150 acres at Garhi Mandu to the Environment Department for a major plantation programme.

This is in addition to the land being taken up for plantation by the Environment Department, residents’ welfare associations and voluntary organisations.

For the first time, a children’s exhibition would also be mounted here at India Habitat Centre where letters, posters and paintings by children would be displayed.

"Children have played a very important role in creating public awareness on environmental issues. It is high time we recognised their effort," the Chief Minister remarked.

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THE DELHI Government is preparing to undertake a three-day campaign to clean the Yamuna from June 2.

The river is more polluted than it was last year, de-spite the fact that Rs 400 crore was spent on cleaning it under the Yamuna Action Plan phase I.

According to the latest figures available with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the dissolved oxygen content has declined while the demand for oxygen has increased because of pollution.

In a study conducted on the direction of the Supreme Court. the CPCB has found the river to be highly polluted at Madanpur Khadar, Nizamuddin and Okhla.

The dissolved oxygen level was between 9 and 10 in most of 2002. Now it is between 7 and 9. The coliform level which last year was about 30 000/100 ml has increased to about 40,000.

The amount of untreated sewage that gets into the river in Delhi can be gauged from the fact that the level of total dissolved solids at Okhla barrage (213 milligrams/litre), where the river leaves Delhi, is about 2.7 times of the level at Palla (823 mg/l). Of the 800 million gallons of sewage generated everyday only 400 is treated.

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