Toxic thrill | Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

NEW DELHI. One of India’s most sacred rivers, the Yamuna, is covered in white toxic foam, with large stretches of it foaming from the emissions of pollutants from industries around the city. Pollution poses a serious threat to the health of residents, as the river provides more than half of the water in the Indian capital.

New Delhi’s air is also one of the dirtiest in the world every year, and the current festival season is making it worse. On Tuesday, the air quality index deteriorated to a “very bad” value of 273, which is 18 times higher than the levels recommended by the World Health Organization. Tiny PM 2.5 particulate matter can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause disease.

Nevertheless, Hindu devotees did not abandon their religious practices in the Yamuna. On Tuesday morning, the young couple were among a group that visited the river bank, swam, and then left.

Jasraj, a 70-year-old retired civil servant, said he has been visiting the river for ritual bathing since 1980.

“I worship the river as a mother and there is no question whether it is clean or dirty. She is dirty on the surface but clean underneath,” said Jasraj, who uses one name.

Imran Khan, a student, said it was impossible to breathe normally in Delhi’s polluted air.

“People are running around here, and they too are facing problems. Our environment should be cleaner,” he said.

Shishupal Kumar, a contractor, said people visit the river from far-off places to perform religious rituals.

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

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

The river has become dirtier over the years as sewage, farm pesticides and industrial runoff flow into the waterway, despite anti-pollution laws and authorities that have installed dozens of treatment plants.

The New Delhi government said that foam extinguishers were used to deal with the problem. Authorities deployed dozens of motorboats to disperse the toxic foam and erected bamboo barricades to keep people away from the river’s banks.

Officials are concerned that thousands of Hindu devotees will stand knee-deep in its frothy, toxic waters this month, sometimes even taking a holy dip, to mark Chhath Puja.

Winters, in particular, have become a time of health problems in India’s capital, home to more than 20 million people. The city is covered in a toxic haze that covers the sky in winter. Pollution levels spike as millions of Hindus celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, amid emissions from huge firecrackers.

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

Last month, India’s Supreme Court criticized states in northern India for not taking stricter action against people who burn crop residues ahead of the winter season and worsen the region’s air pollution.

Authorities close construction sites every year, restrict diesel vehicles and install water sprinklers and anti-smog cannons to control the haze and smog that blankets the capital region’s skyline.