A video of dead fish in the Yamuna near Sonia Vihar prompted conflicting claims. The episode has intensified pollution concerns and demands for scientific testing.Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma accused the AAP of staging the incident. (Credits: PTI)Newdelhi,Nov 12, 2026 19:16 ISTA video showing a large number of dead fish floating in the Yamuna near Delhi's Sonia Vihar area has raised concerns over water pollution, news agency Press Trust of India reported.

The exact cause of the fish deaths has not yet been confirmed.The Delhi government, however, claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party had placed dead fish in the river to defame the government. Local residents blamed polluted water reportedly discharged from a leather tannery.Residents claimed the problem recurs every year when water is released into the river from a location near the Hathnikund Barrage. "There is a tannery and the water released from there is polluted.

The fish die because of that. There were several dead fish on Wednesday and also on Thursday.

These fish have died because of the polluted water," a local resident said.Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma accused the AAP of staging the incident. "Today, I am seeing dirty politics by AAP. They are buying dead fish from the market and putting them in the river and posting videos in an attempt to defame us," Verma said, according to PTI.

The incident occurred less than a month after hundreds, possibly thousands, of dead fish were found along the Yamuna riverbank in north Delhi's Burari.At the time, Radhey Shyam Sharma, head of the Department of Environmental Studies at Delhi University, said sudden mass fish deaths could indicate a sharp rise in pollutants in the water or a toxic discharge. Bhim Singh Rawat, associate coordinator of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, had also identified industrial pollution as a possible cause.

He pointed to untreated waste entering the river through drains in Haryana and restricted water flows needed to sustain the river.Experts told PTI that the exact cause and source of the fish deaths could be established only through an investigation and water-quality tests.The latest incident follows the inauguration of a cruise service on the Yamuna between Sonia Vihar and Jagatpur by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday. Developed to promote river-based tourism, the service covers around 4 km to 5 km, with each ride lasting about 40 minutes.The fish deaths have renewed concerns over pollution in the Yamuna, while residents and the Delhi government have made differing claims about the incident.

An investigation and water-quality tests are required to determine the exact cause.- Ends