New Delhi: The Hindon River in Uttar Pradesh has changed colour due to toxic pollutants dumped into it. A long stretch of the water body has turned into different colours - green, red, yellow, or pitch black depending on the dyeing substances used by industries in the region.
This is not the first time locals are seeing streaks of dye flowing into rivers through piles of garbage. One of the residents of Bahlopur told NDTV that the river had turned a deep red yesterday.
Industrial waste and sewage waste flows into water and makes it unfit for human consumption.
"We received a video of red dye being released into the river on Monday and immediately sent a team that has identified 10 units till now. But the actual numbers are more. All these units are illegal as industries are not allowed in village/residential areas. We have asked Noida Authority to immediately shut down these units and the electricity department to disconnect their connection," said UPPCB regional officer Praveen Kumar.
"The dyes released by them reduce the transparency of the river water and thereby affect the penetration of light into the water and hinder the process of photosynthesis. Consequently, oxygen dissolved in the water is reduced which is alarming for both aquatic flora and fauna," said Dr Pranab J Patar, a sustainability expert.
In March 2023, the National Green Tribunal directed the state agencies to take remedial action and control water pollution in the region. Locals claim that several illegal industries are still operating in the region despite the government and judiciary's intervention. Around 30 dyeing units are operating in the area despite the orders.
Senior citizen Sonu Yadav, who has lived his whole life in the area, told the Times of India that he calls the changing colours a sign that the river is "bleeding to death" over the years. "When I was young, there were no dyeing units in the village, nor were there residential colonies. The river was full of fish and villagers cultivated crops on its banks. The fish and the farmlands are long gone. What's left is a cesspool."
One of the cattle rears in the region said that he used to take his buffaloes into the river for washing until one of them got infected and took four months to recover.