Delhi pollution: Layers of white, toxic foam spotted all over Yamuna River | Watch video

Delhi pollution: Toxic foam could be seen floating on the Yamuna River in Kalindi Kunj on Wednesday as pollution levels in the river continue to remain at an all-time high.

Peaks and layers of white foam were spotted all over the river. Some areas were completely engulfed, with no sign of water, as the visuals released by ANI showed. 

Delhi consistently ranks as one of the most polluted cities in the country, mainly due to factors like industrial activities and crop burning in neighbouring states, including Punjab and Haryana.

Yamuna River's Toxic foam

The visuals of toxic foam on the Yamuna River have become a common sight. Every year, the festive season in the national capital comes with unwelcome reminders of the river's increasing pollution levels.

Multiple reasons, including industrial pollution, effluents from factories in Uttar Pradesh, and untreated wastewater, are to blame for the toxic foam. The pollutants, along with untreated effluents containing phosphates and detergents, pass through the barrage's spillways, where agitation causes the froth to form.

Experts have labelled the Yamuna River as “dead”, pointing to the disappearance of aquatic life. According to Fanindra Pati, a physics scholar at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), this decline is primarily caused by rising water temperatures due to industrial waste, which kills off essential microbes.

The BHU scholar, according to a report by India Today, further mentioned that in a country like India, where rivers are revered as “mother” and “goddess,” the sight of toxic foam covering the Yamuna reflects a “weeping condition".

Delhi pollution

Delhi's pollution woes do not stop there. The toxic foam in Yamuna is only one of the visible effects of devastating pollution in the Union Territory; declining AQI and a thin layer of smog are the others.

While Delhi's air quality improved slightly today, October 30, the AQI remained in the ‘poor’ category at 268, down from 304 recorded a day ago.