The Yamuna River in New Delhi, one of the most important in India, woke up covered in a toxic foam on Monday and the images went viral due to the extreme pollution in the Asian country. According to the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), the traditional celebration of “Chhat Puja” will not be held on the banks of the river due to its current conditions.
Chhat Puja is one of the most important celebrations in India and is celebrated twice on consecutive days on the banks of the Yamuna. During the ceremony, the god Suria is asked for the well-being, prosperity and progress. However, the authorities indicated that it will not be possible this year due to the high level of contamination, which can be harmful to health since people must immerse themselves in water as part of the tradition.
Nevertheless, there were people who ignored the recommendations of the authorities and entered the water contaminated accompanied even by children.
In addition to the toxic foam, the Hindu capital has been engulfed in a thick fog that covers the entire city since the beginning of November.
New Delhi registered on November 5 concentrations of PM 10 (those less than 10 microns) and PM 2.5 (less than 2.5 microns and the most dangerous for humans) particles several times higher than those considered “toxic” by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to India’s main environmental monitoring agency, SAFAR.
The situation was similar in several regions in northern India, where air quality is considered either “very poor” or “dangerous”.
The WHO states that concentrations above 100 PM 10 particles are dangerous for risk groups, while above 300 it considers the air as toxic for humans.
A study by Swiss air quality technology company IQAir released this year revealed that of the 30 most polluted cities in the world, 22 of them are in India.
With information from EFE.
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Source-laopinion.com