For years, images of Chhath devotees standing in froth-covered Yamuna water have defined the festival in the national capital. This year, many of Delhi's Poorvanchali families will have a different option: an 11-kilometre ghat along the Munak Canal, fed by fresh water and lined with facilities.

BJP National President Nitin Nabin inaugurated the ghat on Thursday, ahead of Chhath Puja. He credited Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and her ministers for the arrangements made for the Chhath Vratis.

Nabin said the clean water at the Munak ghats would improve the experience of offering prayers and send a message about respecting nature. He also appealed to devotees to make cleanliness a year-round practice, not a festival-only effort. "I urge worshipers of Chhathi Maiya that if you are a true devotee, you should maintain cleanliness all through the year," he said, invoking the Swachh Bharat Mission.

What devotees will find

The ghat is designed for large crowds and long hours of worship, which are part of the Chhath ritual. Changing rooms, restrooms and tents are in place, along with adequate lighting for the dawn and dusk prayers. CCTV cameras cover the stretch for security. Benches and newly developed green spaces have been added for comfort and to improve the area.

The water supply depends on Haryana releasing fresh water into the canal. Nabin said the "Double Engine" arrangement ensures that water released by the BJP-led Haryana government reaches Chhath devotees in Delhi on time.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta framed the project as more than civic work. "This is not just the rejuvenation of a canal, but a tribute to the faith of Poorvanchal, a victory for the people's trust, and a living example of development and heritage together," she said. She added that the government has supported 1,465 Chhath organising committees this year.

The Yamuna question

The new ghat also points to a larger issue: the condition of the Yamuna, where many devotees would still prefer to pray. Nabin said he hoped the river would soon be clean enough for Chhath to be held there on a larger scale.

Delhi BJP President Harsh Malhotra said nearly 26 km of the Yamuna's 55-km course through Delhi has been cleaned since the BJP came to power 20 months ago. He added that 22 sewers draining into the river are being tackled. "I assure you that in the next two years, not a drop of untreated sewage will fall into the river," he said.

The event also carried political messaging. Nabin criticised the previous AAP government for what he called wasteful spending on the Chief Minister's residence and for neglecting Chhath ghats. Malhotra accused former CM Arvind Kejriwal of failing to deliver on his promise to clean the Yamuna. AAP's response to these remarks was not part of the reports from the event.

For now, the Munak Canal ghat gives devotees a cleaner and more organised space than many riverbanks can offer. How far the Yamuna clean-up goals are met will decide whether Delhi's Chhath can one day return fully to the river.

With inputs from IANS