One of India’s most sacred rivers, the Yamuna in New Delhi, is covered with white toxic foam, with vast sections frothing as a result of pollutants discharged from industries around the city. The pollution poses a severe health threat to residents since the river provides more than half of the Indian capital’s water.
New Delhi also has some of the world’s most polluted air every year, and the current festival season is exacerbating the situation. On Tuesday, the air-quality index deteriorated to “a very poor” reading of 273, 18 times more than the World Health Organization’s quality guidelines. The tiny PM 2.5 particulate matter can enter deep into the lungs and cause diseases.
Still, Hindu devotees have not given up their religious practices at the Yamuna. On Tuesday morning, a young couple was among a group that visited the river bank, had a dip, and then left.
Jasraj, a 70-year-old retired government clerk, said he has been visiting the river for a bathing ritual since 1980.
“I…
