Yamuna is still covered with toxic foam as devotees prep for Chhath

NEW DELHI: A thick layer of toxic foam continued to cover the Yamuna's surface on Wednesday — a day before devotees take dip in water bodies as part of the Chhath Puja festival — with large chunks of froth seen floating past Kalindi Kunj, making mockery of efforts by agencies to reduce the pollution levels in the river.

- Paras Singh

The continued presence of the foam led to a blame game, with the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) claiming that the froth was a result of discharge of silt from the Agra canal, while the Uttar Pradesh government dismissed the allegations.

Separately, the Delhi government issued a formal notification on Wednesday, declaring November 7 as a holiday.

The formation of toxic froth in the Yamuna is an annual phenomenon during winters, and experts say it is an indicator of untreated sewage and industrial pollutants in the river's water.

Chhath Puja is a four-day festival celebrated by people from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh — popularly known as Purvanchalis, who number an estimated one-third of Delhi's population — and involves the offering of "arghya" by fasting devotees to the sun in knee-deep water on a designated day, which this year is November 7.

On Wednesday, a DJB official said they began sprinkling concentrated solutions of a silicone dioxide-based anti-foaming solution on October 21 to reduce frothing in the Yamuna.

"We are facing challenges on two fronts — the operation of the Kalindi Kunj barrage gate, which is leading to more churning of water and more frothing. Secondly, a large amount of silt had been discharged from the Agra canal after its cleaning before Diwali, which further added to the froth," the official said.