Hindus bathe in toxic foam filled river in Indian Capital to celebrate a holy festival

One of the holiest rivers of India seems to be covered with a thick layer of snow, except it is not. A large stretch of the Yamuna River is covered with white toxic foam, caused in part by pollution emitted by industries operating in New Delhi.

Still, on a Wednesday, hundreds of Hindu devotees stood knee-deep in its foamy, noisy waters, sometimes even self-contained to mark a common dip for the Chhath Puja festival.

The 1,376 km (855 miles) the Yamuna is one of the holiest rivers for Hindus. It is also one of the most polluted in the world.

The river supplies more than half of New Delhi water, posing a serious health threat to its residents. It is becoming more polluted over the years than most of the capital's sewage treatment plants, farm pesticides from neighbouring countries, and industrial effluents from factory towns, and the water is flowing despite laws against pollution.

In a city that already has the most contaminated air in the world, a dangerously unhealthy river is a concern for many. However, devotees flock to it every year during the festival, which is dedicated to the sun god and observed with ritual baths.

Rajesh Kumar Verma was among those who worshipped by taking a dip in the Yamuna on Wednesday. He knows that water is harmful, but he insisted on it anyway, regardless of the health risk.

Authorities used motorboats in an attempt to disperse the toxic foam. They also erected barricades of bamboo pieces to keep them away from the river banks.

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The capital of India, home to more than 20 million people, is one of the most populous cities in the world. Especially winters have become a time of health problems when the city is covered with a toxic fog that clogs the sky, and the air pollution levels reach catastrophic levels.

Another contributing factor is the farmers in the neighbouring agricultural regions, who set their land on fire after harvest to clear it for the next harvest season.

"Delhi is full of pollution, but the lives of the people are still going on. So will we do our prayers," stated another devotee named Rajendra Mahto.

On Wednesday, New Delhi's air quality index was "extremely poor", as per SAFAR, India's main environmental monitoring agency.

Dominican Minister of Environment Cozier Fredrick represented the country at the climate summit in Glasgow on Wednesday.