The Jamuna River is a holy river for Hindus, where believers go to bathe.
The Jamuna River flowing through India’s capital Delhi is covered in thick, toxic foam.
The foam comes from sewage, agricultural pesticides and industrial emissions from Delhi, a city of 20 million people, much of which goes untreated into the river.
Toxic concentrations in the Jamuna have increased in recent years, even though the Indian government has built treatment plants to contain the sewage and pollutant emissions are against the law. They try to break up the toxic foam by driving motorboats on the river.
Executive director of an organization that promotes river protection Vimlendu Jha says the news agency Reuters that the nature of the river is completely dead. The water is black except for times when it rains heavily.
The Jamuna is a sacred river for Hindus, where believers go to wash despite prohibitions. The waters of the Jamuna flow into the Ganges and through it end up in the Indian Ocean.
Sources: Reuters, AP