Illegal denim factories responsible for frothing in Yamuna, says social activist
Nov 08, 2021
New Delhi [India], November 8 : Days after Delhi's air quality deteriorated post-Diwali, the Yamuna river in the national capital has been witnessing a thick layer of toxic foam which is a result of chemical waste used to dye denim being dumped by illegal jeans-making units set up close to the river banks, said social activist Varun Gulati.
Gulati, a whistleblower of this issue told ANI, "Illegal denim factories are the main issue behind the foaming water which is the polluting the Yamuna river. The dying setup is releasing contempt water direct into Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and from the plant, it is releasing into the Yamuna river directly and everyone is witnessing the foaming of water but no one wants to know what is the real source behind this and it is actually the denim dying units."
The Yamuna river is the only water source not only to Delhi but to the nearby states. Chemical wastes dissolving in the river which looks like pink, blue and purple in colour, is actually not only harmful but hazardous for health, at a level that can lead to cancer.
The social activist further said that tons of contempt water get dissolved in the Yamuna river on a daily basis.
"One dying industry which consumes 2 to 10 lakh litres of water daily, but our authorities do not have statics how much water is actually polluted. The dying industry releases into the river chemical water without treatment, which leads to large scale pollution," said Gulati.
"In the year 2018, a particular area of Delhi registered the cases of cancer in large numbers and authorities had no idea why it happened in the said area. After a survey was conducted, the reason shocked everyone as water consumed by people was contempt due to the denim dying wastage. The unit workers dumped the chemical water into the ground which resulted in water soaking inside the groundwater of the area, which reached each and every tap of the house present in the area, leading to cancer within the residents of the area," added Gulati.
Meanwhile, Devotees took a dip in the frothing Yamuna river on the first day of Chhath Puja on Monday. The people expressed their disappointment with the quality of water in the river.
According to experts, the toxic foam is due to high phosphate content following the discharge of industrial pollutants including detergents into the river. Ammonia levels in the river have also been increasing.
