As the four day Chhath Puja celebrations end today, devotees in Delhi were seen flocking to the Yamuna river to offer 'Arag' to the Sun God and despite the presence of the toxic foam in the river, the devotees continued to take the holy dip.
The situation was seen near the Kalindi Kunj in the national capital where even the frothy waters of the Yamuna river couldn't stop devotees from taking a dip as part of the rituals of the festival.
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The Delhi government on Wednesday had deployed boats to remove the toxic foam that was formed in the Yamuna river in a face-saving exercise amid severe criticism after Chhath Puja devotees were seen taking a dip in the river.
"Delhi government has deployed 15 boats to remove the foam that is forming in the Yamuna due to increasing pollution," said Delhi government official.
Ahead of the Sandhya Arghya on the third day of the Chhath Puja during which devotees take a dip in the holy water and worship the Sun, boats were being used to clear-off toxic foam from the river.
This came after environmentalists, political parties and people of Delhi had raised concerns over the appalling situation.
A social activist named Varun Gulati has said that the foam is a result of chemical waste used to dye denim being dumped by illegal jeans-making units set up close to the river banks.
However, the political blame game continued over this issue as the Delhi Jal Board Vice Chairman and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Raghav Chadha expressed his anguish at the BJP-ruled governments of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana for releasing untreated wastewater into the river.
(With ANI Inputs)
