21 November 2023
By Changwon Choi
On November 9th, CNN reported that poisonous foam from sewage and wastewater had coated the water surface of the Yamuna River, which is 1,376 kilometers long and one of the seven sacred rivers in India; it is a tributary of the northern Ganges River. Experts surmise that the appearance of these bubbles results from improper treatment of sewage and industrial wastewater, which raises the levels of phosphate and ammonia.
The river's water quality is getting worse because of wastewater from nearby factories and rubbish dumped by dense populations. Despite the fact that the Indian authorities have allocated a budget to address this issue, the massive amount of waste that has already been thrown away and the ongoing dumping of waste and sewage show no signs of improvement.
The problem is that in the downstream areas, this river water is used for showers and drinking water. Additionally, Hindus perform a ritual of entering the Ganges River every November to pray. Among them, the Yamuna River, which is the most polluted, is also included. Hindus said they knew the water was dirty, but they could not stop because it was a religious ritual.
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