The first day of Chhath Puja began with devotees in Delhi praying knees dipped in the frothy Yamuna. Kalindi Kunj in Delhi had the most amazing but deadly view of the Yamuna filled with toxic froth and people offering their prayers on the occasion of Chhath Puja. Check the reason for froth in the Yamuna, how toxic it can be and about the occasion of Chhath Puja below.
Hindu women devotees prayer after taking bath as part of the rituals of four days long #ChhathPuja celebration, as #toxic for floats on the surface of polluted #YamunaRiver at Kalindi Kunj, in New Delhi.#chhatpuja #festival #Yamuna #environment pic.twitter.com/uSg4O63LA4
— Manvender Vashist Lav📸 (@ManvenderVLav) November 7, 2021
Chhath Puja 2021 in Toxic Yamuna
Chhath happens to be one of the biggest festivals of people in Bihar and it is currently underway. The devotees in this festival need to worship the Sun God dipping themselves upto their knees in a nearby waterbody. For the people of Delhi, the nearest water body happens to be the Yamuna. However, the devotees faced an unprecedented problem when they reached the river banks full of toxic ammonia froth. The river is unfit for bathing as the data reveals, it consists of dissolved oxygen less than 5 mg, with the water pH between 6.5-8.5 and BOD being less than 3 mg/l. The E Coli (faecal form) is high being <2500 MPN/100 ml.
Through my lens---People take dip in #Yamuna river in Delhi on the first day of #ChhathPuja in the midst of toxic foam. On the first day of #ChhathPuja2021 called Nahay Khay,devotees take a bath, wear clean clothes and prepare a prasad of Lord Surya. pic.twitter.com/jNxcyRPc1e
— Anindya Chattopadhyay (@ANINDYAtimes) November 8, 2021
Toxic Frothing of the Yamuna: Reason
The major cause of froth is the release of untreated waste, poorly treated effluents, sewage from parts of the city not included in the sewage network and industrial waste into the river in large quantities.
The dead and decaying parts of the plants contain fat molecules which cannot mix with water. These form an invisible foam layer that floats on the water surface. When the water gets distributed by waves, natural waterfalls, or artificial falls from river barrages. Then when the surface water gets distributed by waves, natural waterfalls or artificial falls from river barrages. Then this fatty layer gets broken into the froth. This is similar to how shaking up soapy water causes the air to get trapped in tiny bubbles that form a layer of foam.
Amidst toxicity the religious fervour. #yamuna #DelhiPollution pic.twitter.com/h6CtyOH0Id
— Ashish Sharma (@ashishsphotos) November 10, 2021
The foam that is made from organic matter in rivers and lakes can last for a longer time. But the foam in the Yamuna is not natural. The high levels of phosphates in the Yamuna cause the foam to build up. These phosphates are released from the detergents that reduce the surface tension in water. These then cause eutrophication making the river rich in minerals and nutrients. This cuts algae off the oxygen it gets in water and sunlight from reaching the depths of water.
The marine life in the Yamuna also faces issues due to these phosphates and they are responsible for the large amounts of foam in the river. The phosphate level in the Yamuna is 6.9 mg/l at Okhla and it suddenly rises to 13.42 mg/l at Khajoori Paltan. In case the amount of phosphates is high like in the Yamuna now, the river cannot clean itself.
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What has the Delhi Government Done?
The Government of Delhi has spent almost 2387 crore rupees on the Yamuna Cleaning Project. UP Government contributed Rs 2052 crore in cleaning the river while the Government of Haryana contributed INR 549 crore, The total money spent till now is almost 5000 crore but the results are horrific. The Central Pollution Control Board report suggested the presence of froths downstream near ITO and Okhla barrage in Delhi, being absent upstream. This indicates that the cleaning effort must be done there itself. DPCC although banned the sale, storage and transport of the soaps and detergents as per the standards set by BIS. It was earlier recommended by Yamuna Monitoring Committee as well which now does not exist.
Hazards and Dangers of Frothing of Rivers:
Human skin can face irritation and allergies due to these chemicals and if these are ingested, can lead to gastrointestinal problems including typhoid and tuberculosis. Long term exposure to metals can cause hazardous nervous system diseases and hormonal imbalances.
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