Several devotees on Monday morning took a holy dip in Yamuna river near Kalindi Kunj, Delhi on the first day of Chhath Puja in the midst of toxic foam.
To mark the beginning of the Chhath, several devotees gathered at the banks of river Yamuna to stepped into the polluted river water covered with noxious foam.
A video capturing this moment has been rounding across the social media platforms since morning.
A video shared by ANI from its Twitter handle showed that several female devotees, dressed in saree and salwar kameez, bathing in knee-deep water amidst white froth, which appeared like snow.
The Chhath Puja festival begins with Nahay Khay, in which the devotees take a bath, wear clean clothes and prepare a prasad for the Sun god.
However, the formation of toxic foam on the surface of Yamuna is not new and it is due to several reasons, including increased phosphate content following the discharge of detergents-containing effluents from industries.
Yamuna has witnessed rising pollutants levels over the years, which are the main cause of foaming.
Delhi’s water supply was also affected due to rise in ammonia levels in the Yamuna. Even after DDMA barred Chhath Puja celebrations on the banks of the Yamuna river, devotees gathered to take a dip.
The four-day Chhath festival is dedicated to the Sun God and is celebrated by people from East Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. This year, the festivals main celebration will be held on November 10. Last week, the Delhi government had announced November 10 as the public holiday.
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Chhath celebration in the national capital made global headlines in 2019 when photographs showing devotees standing in the river water amidst toxic foam at Kalindi Kunj flooded the Internet.
In this fesrive season, the Air Quality Index (AQI) also hit the severe category in Delhi for the third straight day on Sunday with people complaining of breathlessness and itchy eyes.