Devotees in India take a dip in frothy, toxic river in the world's most polluted city
Thanks to local festivities, some of Indian capital’s biggest issues are now before the world to see.
If you thought severe air quality issue is the only thing affecting the lives of million residents in Delhi, you will want to have a look at the rivers that flow through the state.
Some devotees who went by the banks of the Yamuna river to celebrate the festival of Chhath Puja were greeted by one of the most polluted water you will ever see.
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As if the poor visibility due to severe air quality wasn’t enough, the immense amount of froth in the river made it hard to spot any water. Call it blind faith, but devotees remained unshaken by the polluted water, and performed the rituals that include taking a dip in the polluted river.
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Yamuna river, which originates at Yamunotri glacier in the Himalayas, is one of the world’s most polluted rivers. The water, when you can actually spot it, looks black in New Delhi, as factories in the nearby regions continue to discharge their waste directly into it.
As of earlier this year, the water of Yamuna river was found to have 1.1 billion fecal coliform bacteria per 100 millilitres of water. Any sample of water which has over 500 coliform bacteria per 100 millilitres is deemed unfit for bathing, for instance.
The horrifying images of Yamuna river, courtesy of Indian Express, emerges at a time when New Delhi residents are struggling to find ways to breathe in the most polluted city in the world. For the last eight days, over 1.5 million people in Delhi, and hundreds of millions in its vicinity, have been woking up to a thick layer of smog. The air quality remains hazardous in the city, with AQI PM2.5 level hitting 1,000 several times — over 15 times the safe limit set by the government.
