CHANDIGARH, May 17 -- Once revered as a sacred lifeline for northern India, the Yamuna River now stands as a grim reminder of administrative failure and political blame games. Despite multiple government action plans, court interventions, and thousands of crores spent on rejuvenation efforts, the stretch flowing through the end of Haryana and Delhi remains polluted.

The toxic mix of untreated sewage, industrial effluents, plastic waste, and declining water flow has left large parts of the river biologically dead. What worsens the crisis is a deepening rift between the successive governments of Delhi and Haryana, both of which continue to accuse each other of polluting the river instead of finding common ground. Ground research suggests t...