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Toxic drench | The Arkansas Democratic Gazette

Umito November 2, 2024

NEW DELHI — One of India’s most sacred rivers, the Yamuna, is covered in toxic white scum, large sections of which foam from pollutants released by industries around the city. Pollution poses a serious threat to the health of residents since the river provides more than half of the Indian capital’s water.

New Delhi’s air is also some of the most polluted in the world every year, and the current festival season is exacerbating the situation. On Tuesday, the air quality index deteriorated to a “very poor” level of 273, 18 times higher than levels recommended by the World Health Organization. Tiny PM 2.5 particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause illness.

However, Hindu devotees have not abandoned their religious practices in Yamuna. On Tuesday morning, a young couple was part of a group who went to the river, took a swim and then left.

Jasraj, a 70-year-old retired government employee, said he had been visiting the river for bathing ritual since 1980.

“I love the river like a mother, and it is not a question of whether it is clean or dirty. It is dirty on the surface but clean underneath,” said Jasraj, who uses one name.

Imran Khan, a student, said one cannot breathe Delhi’s polluted air properly.

“People come here for jogging, and they also face problems. Our environment should be cleaner,” he said.

Shishupal Kumar, a contractual employee, said people visit the river from distant places to perform religious rituals.

“The river has become completely dirty. It is full of chemicals. It looks like snowfall has happened here, as it happens in the mountains,” Kumar said.

The 855-mile-long Yamuna is one of the most sacred rivers for Hindus. It is also one of the most polluted countries in the world. Dangerously unsanitary waterways are a concern for many, especially with pollution expected to worsen during the upcoming Chhath Puja, a Hindu festival.

The river has become dirtier over the years as sewage, agricultural pesticides and industrial effluents flow into it, despite anti-pollution laws and the authorities’ establishment of dozens of treatment plants .

The government in New Delhi said authorities were using defoamers to solve the problem. Authorities deployed dozens of motorboats to disperse the toxic foam and erected bamboo barricades to keep people away from the river banks.

Officials fear thousands of Hindu worshipers will find themselves knee-deep in its foamy, toxic waters this month, sometimes even plunging into a holy bath to mark Chhath Puja.

Winters, in particular, have become a time of health concerns in the Indian capital, home to more than 20 million people. In winter, the city is covered in a toxic haze that darkens the sky. Pollution levels are soaring as millions of Hindus celebrate “Diwali”, the festival of light, amid massive firecracker emissions.

Farmers in neighboring agricultural regions also burned their land after harvest in order to clear it for the next agricultural season.

India’s Supreme Court last month criticized northern Indian states for failing to take stricter action against people burning crop residues ahead of the winter season and thereby worsening the region’s air pollution. .

Every year, authorities close construction sites, limit diesel-powered vehicles and deploy water sprinklers and anti-smog guns to control the haze and smog that shroud the capital region’s skyline.

Workers at the Delhi Jal or water board clean toxic moss from the Yamuna River in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, October 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

A Delhi Jal or water board worker sits in his boat in the Yamuna River filled with toxic moss in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, October 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Workers of the Delhi Jal or Water Board spray chemicals to clean toxic moss from the Yamuna River in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, October 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

A woman in traditional attire is pictured in front of the toxic moss-filled Yamuna River in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Workers at the Delhi Jal or water board prepare to clean toxic moss in the Yamuna River in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, October 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

An employee of the Delhi Jal or water board sprays chemicals to clean toxic moss from the Yamuna River in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, October 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Workers of the Delhi Jal or Water Board spray chemicals to clean toxic moss from the Yamuna River in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, October 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)