(New Delhi, India) Toxic foam covered the Yamuna, one of India’s sacred rivers on Monday, adding to the ailments of New Delhi residents already overwhelmed by the thick fog of pollution enveloping the Indian capital.
The Yamuna, a tributary of the Ganges, is already one of the most polluted rivers in the country and clumps of white foam dotted it on Monday as it passed through Delhi.
Local authorities blamed a “significant influx of wastewater and industrial waste” upstream last week.
The pollution has not deterred Hindu worshipers from diving into the river to celebrate the four-day festival of Chhath Puja, with prayers in the sun.
But the phenomenon has disrupted the water supply in part of the city, according to local officials who did not specify how many homes were affected.
“I would like to thank the residents who have been affected for their cooperation,” Raghav Chadha, vice president of the city’s water supply authority, said in a statement Sunday. “Our team of managers and engineers are working day and night to minimize the hardships people in Delhi have with regard to water.”
The authorities have long committed to cleaning up the Yamuna, to no avail, and episodes of toxic foam repeat each year.
In 2020, a government report estimated that the quality of the water in the river had “seriously” worsened during the previous five years.
The Indian capital and its surroundings have been grappling with a thick toxic fog at the same time since last week.
New Delhi is ranked among the most polluted cities on the planet, both for its toxic gas emissions from industry and for its road traffic and agricultural burns that fill the air every winter. They joined forces last week with illegal fireworks fired on the Hindu festival of Diwali.
The levels of PM2.5 particles – the finest and therefore the most dangerous particles of pollution in the air – have exceeded the 400 mark in several places, 16 times more than the safety limit recommended by the World Organization for health.