As Chhath Puja festival began on Monday, devotees were seen taking a dip in the Yuman river near Kalindi Kunj in Delhi ignoring the thick white layer of toxic foam floating over the waterbody. The river water considered holy is barely visible as it is covered in rim visuals that were shared by the news agency ANI.
A video tweeted by ANI showed how people chose to avoid the toxic foam and performed the rituals. However, a few looked disappointed after completing the rituals.
"Taking a dip in the river has significance in Chhath Puja. I have come here but the water is dirty. It is causing a lot of problems for us. Diseases can also happen due to this. But we are helpless. The cleanliness of water and ghats is much better in Bihar. Delhi government should make sure that the ghats are cleaned," a devotee said.
Meanwhile in a video tweeted, four women can be seen standing midst of the toxic foam and bathing in the extremely polluted Yamuna water. Few collected the water in a mug and poured it over their head.
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What can people do if the water is dirty, asked a devotee?
Another local resident said that the foam is there on the river for a month, adding that people bathe using soaps, shampoos and also wash their clothes in the river. “Water from every household and water from drains is coming here. This results in the formation of the foam. This foam has been forming in the river for a month," he said.
Chhath puja is dedicated to the Sun God and is mainly observed by the people from Bihar, Jharkhand and bordering areas in Uttar Pradesh. Devotees gather and take a holy dip in water bodies like ponds, rivers during the four-day festivities. As per Hindu tradition, Sun God and his wife Usha are worshipped and paid gratitude by devotees as they seek blessing from God for health and prosperity for their families.
Experts say the toxic foam is caused by the increased ammonia levels and high phosphate content that are a result of discharge from industrial pollutants including detergents into the river body. Ammonia levels in the river are also rising which is an indicator of pollution in the water which was around 2.2 ppm (parts per million) on Saturday and Sunday.
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Following the toxicity level, the water supply in some parts of Delhi was also impacted on Sunday as pumping from Sonia Vihar, Bhagirathi, Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla water treatment plants were hit, the Delhi Jal Board stated in a statement yesterday.
Delhi’s air was blanketed with toxic air following the bursting of firecrackers after Diwali. Meanwhile, a sharp rise in stubble burning in the last few days by the neighbouring states has also majorly contributed to the increase in air pollution in the national capital.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) went up to the "severe" category in Delhi for the third straight day yesterday with people complaining of breathlessness and itchy eyes, along with experts raising concerns over the increasing level of toxicity in teh city causing harm to people’s health.