The froth is a results of untreated sewage and industrial waste being dumped into the river.
New Delhi:
Because the four-day Chhath pageant begins with the normal ‘Nahay Khay’ on Tuesday, a disturbing sight marred the non secular fervour alongside the banks of the Yamuna River close to Kalindi Kunj in Delhi.
Devotees gathered in massive numbers to supply prayers and carry out the ritual holy tub, a major a part of the pageant devoted to the Solar God.
Nevertheless, their devotion was overshadowed by the sight of poisonous foam floating on the river’s floor, a stark reminder of the town’s persistent air pollution.
Amid the rising air pollution ranges which have plagued the nationwide Capital, sections of the Yamuna River, notably round Kalindi Kunj, have been seen coated in thick, frothy foam, leaving each environmentalists and devotees involved.
#WATCH | Delhi: Thick poisonous foam seen floating on the Yamuna River in Kalindi Kunj, as air pollution stage within the river stays excessive.
Earlier in the present day, devotees have been seen taking a holy dip within the river and performing rituals of #ChhathPuja, on the primary day of the pageant.
(Drone… pic.twitter.com/XFqWFoxKFx
— ANI (@ANI) November 5, 2024
Because the pageant enters its first day, the froth – an disagreeable and doubtlessly hazardous byproduct of chemical pollution- has as soon as once more raised an alarm concerning the state of the river, which is central to the Chhath Puja rituals.
Annually, devotees of Chhath Puja collect by the Yamuna to carry out sacred bathing and prayers as a part of the normal worship. Nevertheless, this yr, the sight of froth on the river’s floor has led many to query the efficacy of the measures taken by the administration to deal with the rising air pollution downside.
The froth, a results of untreated sewage and industrial waste being dumped into the river, has change into an annual subject throughout the pageant, but no lasting options appear to have been applied.
“I really like the Yamuna River, and I’ve come right here to take a shower on Chhath Vrat, however the situation of the river may be very unhealthy. It feels very unlucky,” stated Kiran, a devotee who had travelled to the riverbank for the ritual.
“The federal government ought to take into consideration the state of the river that we maintain in reverence and worship. It is disgraceful that the water we’re speculated to tub in is polluted water,” she stated.
One other devotee, Ram Dulari, who was additionally performing the normal tub, echoed comparable sentiments. “At the moment is Nahay Khay, the primary day of our Chhath Puja. I simply need to request the federal government to wash the Yamuna River,” she stated, visibly distressed by the situation of the water.
The poisonous foam, which has change into a recurring subject throughout festivals like Chhath Puja, raises critical issues concerning the high quality of the water and its potential influence on public well being.
The froth consists of dangerous chemical substances, detergents, and pollution from industrial and home waste. Extended publicity to such polluted water can result in pores and skin irritations and different well being dangers, particularly for individuals who wade into the river to carry out rituals.
This scene of environmental degradation within the Yamuna additionally highlights the systemic subject of untreated sewage being discharged into the river, which has been an ongoing problem for years.
The river’s air pollution ranges have reached alarming proportions, with excessive concentrations of chemical substances and industrial waste dissolving into the water, additional complicating efforts to wash it.
Regardless of the Delhi authorities’s repeated assurances of measures to sort out the air pollution within the Yamuna, the state of affairs appears to have worsened over time. The dearth of efficient intervention throughout main non secular occasions like Chhath Puja raises questions concerning the sincerity of the administration’s efforts to enhance water high quality and safeguard public well being.
Environmental consultants have lengthy been warning concerning the risks posed by the river’s contamination. The froth, which varieties on account of chemical and natural waste, serves as a visible indicator of the extreme air pollution within the water, which isn’t solely dangerous to the devotees but in addition to the broader ecosystem.
The continued air pollution of the Yamuna, particularly throughout such vital cultural and spiritual occasions, has now change into a major problem for the federal government and native authorities. Devotees, who maintain the river in excessive regard, are more and more annoyed with the shortage of progress in cleansing the waterway.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)