Demystifier: ED Original where the content is written in such a way that it is knowledgeable and easy to comprehend at the same time.
Delhi NCR, known for its year-long air pollution, has exacerbated water pollution as well. The Yamuna River gets filled with froth every year, but this time, the event took place during the monsoon season, which is not only uncanny but also can cause potential health problems.
What Causes The Froth On The River?
The Yamuna is 1,370 kilometres long, stretching from Yamunotri to Allahabad. Less than 2% of it (approximately 22 km) spread from Wazirabad to Okhla but accounts for 80% of the pollution load on the river.
This particular stretch of river observes the formation of white foam, floating on its surface at least once every year.
The decomposition of organic matter leads to the formation of foam bubbles. One end of the foam-producing molecules is hydrophobic while the other is hydrophilic. Thus, the foam being lighter than water, starts floating on its surface.
The reason behind froth formation in the Yamuna River is the presence of phosphates, ammonia and surfactants in untreated sewage dumped in it, from Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh (UP). According to The Weather Channel, some illegal jeans-making factories also dump their wastes, particularly blue dye used to colour jeans, into the river.
According to experts, the unprocessed garbage also contains soap and detergent particles, industrial effluents, organic matter from decomposing vegetation and filamentous bacteria. Sugar and paper in UP industries also release pollutants that travel via the Hindon Canal, increasing the ingredients forming the hazardous froth.
Moreover, the idols immersed in water during festivities, are made up of lead, chrome pains and POP (Plaster of Paris). These are also harmful pollutants and the decoration items and polythene bags that come hand-in-hand with them, aggravate the problem.
A 2024 report by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) said, “The sudden addition of organic contaminants during the rainy season by way of surface wash-off, mixing/overflowing of drains, etc., and heavy turbulence near the barrage is likely the main reasons for frothing.”
Read More: The Sad State Of Yamuna And The Unaffected People Of Delhi
How Is It Hazardous?
Pictures of people immersed in waist-deep water full of froth, in the Yamuna performing the rituals of Chhath Puja make the headlines every year. Such exposure, when short-term may lead to allergies and skin problems while long-term exposure can cause neurological issues and hormonal imbalances.
If consumed, the chemicals present in it can lead to gastrointestinal issues and typhoid.
The situation is serious as the froth has occurred just before the festive season when women immerse in knee-deep water to perform rituals such as ‘arghya’.
“This kind of foam formation is common when fats from decaying plants and pollutants mix with the water, but its presence during the monsoon is surprising,” said an expert.
“Environmental governance doesn’t seem to be a priority for the Delhi government. The unfortunate part is that there is a lack of political intent, zero urgency in cleaning the Yamuna and minimal action on the ground, leading to frequent foaming and frothing of the river,” said environmentalist Vimlendu Jha.
“Delhi empties more than 3,500 million litres of municipal sewage in the river and, despite tall claims, over 50 per cent of the sewage is either untreated or not adequately treated, and flows directly into the Yamuna,” he added.
Another environmentalist, Bhavreen Kandhari, reverberated the same concerns about the lack of on-ground work. She said, “On the Yamuna and Hindon edges, scores of farmhouses and industries are discharging pollutants into the river. There are about 92 drains that open directly into Yamuna, out of which 62 are untapped. Therefore, due to negligence and lack of real action on the ground, there is toxic foam in the Yamuna every year.”
While the political blame game takes place annually as soon as the froth occurs on the river, strong and implementable actions are mostly absent.
Sources: The Times of India, Hindustan Times, Firstpost
This post is tagged under: Delhi, pollution, Yamuna, river, pollutants, ammonia, phosphate, political, jeans, dye, blue, blame game, environmentalist, Vimlendu Jha, Bhavreen Kandhari, expert, Chhath Puja, gastrointestinal, typhoid, arghya, chemicals, froth, neurological, hormonal imbalance, foam, air pollution, report, The Energy and Resources Institute, TERI, lead, chrome paints, Plaster of Paris, UP, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, The Weather Channel, Yamunotri, Allahabad, Wazirabad, Okhla
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right, or copyright over any of the images used, these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly mail us.
Other Recommendations:
Delhi Gets Its Places Renamed After Pollution Exceeds WHO Limit By 100 Times
