Hindus perform ceremony in river covered in toxic foam

Thousands of Hindus in New Dehli, India's capital city, waded into a sacred river on Saturday, 02 November 2019, to observe the Chhath Puja festival despite the water being covered with toxic foam.

The Yamuna, a tributary of the Ganges, is one of India's most sacred rivers but has also become one of its most polluted.

Industrial effluents and untreated sewage continue to flow into the Yamuna, despite repeated government attempts to clean the sacred river.

For many Hindus, the Yamuna remains a key water source which resonates deeply with their faith so on that Saturday they waded into the extremely polluted waters nonetheless to observe the ancient festival which is dedicated to the Sun God.

The festival is to worship the Sun God and the rituals are rigorously observed over a period of four days. They include holy bathing, fasting and abstaining from drinking water (Vratta), standing in water for long periods of time and offering prasad (prayer) and arghya (offerings) to the setting and rising sun.