Directorate of Information & Publicity 
DIRECTORATE OF INFORMATION AND PUBLICITY
GOVERNMENT OF NCT OF DELHI
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- Delhi’s Water Minister Kapil Mishra leads Delhi Jal Board delegation to meet Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, renowned environmental activist in Punjab
- DJB studied the various processes and technologies employed by Baba Seechewal to clean the 110-mile Kali Bein Rivulet
- “Our plan to clean river Yamuna is based on Seechewal’s eco-friendly Punjab model”: DJB Chairman Kapil Mishra
- “We are glad to see like-minded people who love their river in the Delhi Government. We wish them the best of luck for their excellent plan for River Yamuna”: Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal
Dated 23.05.2016
On 23rd May 2016, Delhi’s Water Minister and Chairman of Delhi Jal Board Kapil Mishra, along with Aam Aadmi Party Punjab State Convenor Sucha Singh Chotepur and a team of officials from Delhi Jal Board visited Seechewal Gaon in Kapurthala to meet Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, a renowned environmental activist, who combined his philosophy of self-help with the environmental essence of the Gurbani, and resurrected the 110-mile Kali Bein rivulet.
The team from Delhi Jal Board visited various sites operated and maintained by Baba Seechewal to treat wastewater and sewage, which used eco-friendly and natural processes, thus reducing the financial and environmental cost of cleaning the river. The DJB studied the decentralised natural treatment system, oxidation pond, settling tanks and processes used to remove floating material from the Kali Bein rivulet. Another key insight was the maintenance of flow through the river which ensured quick self-purification of the river. The DJB team found that many of the processes and techniques used in Seechewal found a prominent place in the government’s plan to clean River Yamuna.
Water Minister Kapil Mishra said, “I came here on instructions of my CM Arvind Kejriwal ji who told me about his visit to Seechewal and the amazing work that Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal has done to clean rivers and purify the environment. The work he has done by leading a citizen’s movement is amazing, and his humility and philosophy is even more inspiring. We have presented our plan to Baba ji to clean our River Yamuna, which incorporates almost all the ideas that he has used, including decentralised wastewater treatment, oxidation ponds and maintenance of river flow. We will ensure that River Yamuna is cleaned on war footing and will ensure that the Punjab’s Seechewal model of river cleaning is implemented in Delhi.”
Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal appreciated the plans of the Delhi Jal Board to clean River Yamuna and said, “I am very happy to see that Kapil and his team from the Delhi Government come with such humility and an attitude of learning to Punjab. The River Yamuna desperately requires an overhaul and I am very happy to know that many of the natural processes and techniques that we have used find their way in Delhi Government’s plan for Yamuna. No other work can be more sacred than this. It is said in the Bani that it is better to save a creature, than to take bath in 68 holy places of pilgrimage. So, cleaning our rivers to save humanity and flora and fauna should be our primary duty. We should all join hands to clean our nation’s rivers, and I look forward to the change that the Delhi Government will bring and are happy to share our learnings in Punjab with them."
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