Fake news claim: Multiple users shared a post on social media regarding the Yamuna froths, with women and people offering prayers during the Chatt Puja, really brave people to take god blessings..

Examples of viral posts in circulation on Social Media like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.

Raj Kamal: छठ पर दिखी यमुना की डरावनी तस्वीर, जहरीले झाग के बीच महिलाओं ने दिया सूर्य को अर्घ्य दिल्ली के कालंदी कुंज में छठ पूजा के दौरान कई भयावह तस्वीरें देखने को मिलीं, जहां महिलाओं ने यमुना में जहरीने केमिकल के बीच खड़ी होकर सुर्य को अर्घ्य दिया. कालंदीकुंज में बने यमुना घाट को देखने से लगता है, जैसे बादल जमीन पर उतर आया है, जबकि यह कैमिकल से तैयार फेन है, जिसके बीच छठ पूजा की जा रही है. इन्हीं कैमिकल में महिलाएं शाम को अघर्य देने के लिए खड़ी रहीं और आज सुबह भी सूर्य को अर्घ्य देखर व्रत का समापन किया. ये तस्वीरें भले ही डराने वाली हों, लेकिन कुछ लोग इन केमिकल वाली झाग के बीच सेल्फी लेते हुए दिखाई दिए. लोगों के बीच केमिकल का खौफ बिल्कुल भी नहीं दिखाई दिया और सभी फोटो खींचते दिखाई दिए. केंद्रीय प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड (सीपीसीबी) ने यमुना में बीते वर्ष नमूनों की जांच की थी. इन नमूनों की जांच में पता चला है कि जिस तरह से नदी में केमिकल डाला जा रहा है उससे नदी का अस्तित्व पूरी तरह से खत्म होने वाला है. नदी में फेन की चादर बिछ गई है और नदी में घुलनशील ऑक्सीजन, बायो केमिकल ऑक्सीजन डिमांड (बीओडी) और क्लोरीफॉर्म की स्थिति बेहद खराब है.

दिल्ली के कालिंदी कुंज में छठ पूजा की तस्वीर। ये मौत का दृश्य नहीं तो क्या है?

Facts Check: Mix of old and new pictures

News Verification: Multiple users shared pictures from the Yamuna bed, thousands of devotees offered prayer during the Chhath Puja, where Devotees Stand Knee-Deep In Toxic Foam In the capital city of India, Delhi's Yamuna For Chhath Puja. The scène is horrific and dangerous.

Many made this as photo opportunity and clicked selfie and pictures.

One of the key rituals of Chhath Puja is standing and offering prayers in water, facing the rising sun. People aware of the toxic water still moved into the river and offered prayer, really brave, god bless them J.

The devotees are really brave who can stand deep in the hazardous pollution and rain - were seen almost knee-deep in the Yamuna river froth that looks like candy-floss. Many young women were even seen taking selfies, standing in the middle of the smelly foam.

Thousands of devotees offered prayers along the banks of the Yamuna river to mark the end of Chhath Puja. Early Sunday morning, men in dhoti and women in saree stepped into the river water with toxic, white foam floating on the surface of the polluted water.

Devotees offered prayers to the rising sun as toxic foam floats on the surface of polluted Yamuna river, most from the Kalindi Kunj, in New Delhi.

On Sunday, pollution levels in Delhi, peaked to a three-year high that made breathing difficult and lowered visibility that affected road and air traffic. Arvind Kejriwal called the situation "unbearable".

He said the people of Delhi were suffering for "no fault of theirs". Schools in Delhi, Noida,Gurgaon and Faridabad are shut till Tuesday. 

When leaves, twigs or other organic substances fall into water and begin decaying, they release compounds known as surfacants. This interaction breaks the surface tension, which in turn allows air to more easily mix with water and creates bubbles. These bubbles congregate as natural foam.

The foam is toxic and reports say it is carcinogenic. It causes breathing difficulties, irritation on the skin, besides spreading an unbearable stench.  

How it is caused

The indiscriminate discharge of household waste and industrial effluents into lakes is what causes the toxicity, leading to the water body foaming.

Another thing to blame is detergent: Experts say the ubiquity of washing machines in urban India

Another study reveals that sewage is the main source of pollution of this water body and irrigation with sewage-contaminated water containing variable amounts of heavy metals leads to increase in concentration of metals in the soil and vegetation.” 

Delhi is polluted as hell, its water bodies are polluted, this picture going viral are another signs why the people have been advised against venturing outside, why they have been asked to avoid outdoor activities as possible as they can to lower the health risks.

It is really shocking to see people venturing into the river in the name of god and risking their health, after all Puja’s were meant for mental and physical health of people, but looks like the trend has changed.