The worsening environment pollution causes new worries in India. Delhi is considered the most polluted capital city in the world. It is not just thick smog that is currently making life difficult for residents, now toxic foam is floating on the holy Yamuna River. 

The Yamuna River is the longest and the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges. For years, the river faces severe pollution, especially in the part that flows through Delhi. Industrial discharge, domestic waste, and agricultural runoff contribute to its contamination, making this part of the river one of the most polluted in the country.

The white froth is a mixture of sewage and industrial waste. The pollution in the Yamuna has severe ecological impacts, affecting aquatic animals and threatening the river’s biodiversity. Industries along the river, especially in urban areas, discharge untreated waste directly into the river, introducing toxic chemicals and heavy metals.

A significant source of pollution is untreated domestic sewage from communities along the river. Much sewage water from houses and buildings in Delhi enters the river without adequate treatment. Fertilizers, pesticides, and other agricultural chemicals also wash into the river.  

According to officials, the pungent foam contains high levels of ammonia and phosphates, which can cause skin and respiratory problems. An environmental engineer Ankit Srivastava, a former advisor to the Delhi government stated that you will not die from consuming it, but you would fall ill. Its latest arrival has coincided with hazardous levels of pollution that have sickened many of New Delhi’s more than 20 million residents and forced primary schools and some offices to close.