Woman seen applying toxic foam to her hair while bathing in Yamuna river

India's Yamuna River is filled with toxic foam right now. But that didn't deter devotees from taking a dip in the river on the occasion of Chhath Puja. A viral video on the internet shows a woman washing her hair with the froth floating around, shocking netizens.

Every year around this time froth appears on the surface of the river, but devotees are ignoring the warnings and going ahead with the festivities in the river, bathing and taking dips in the polluted water.

The woman in the video can be seen taking a bath in the river and even using the foam on her hair like shampoo. Several more women are with her standing in the knee-deep water with toxic foamfloating around them.

People were shocked to see the women standing in the water and bathing. One user wrote, "Is this really happening?"

Another pointed out ironically that, "All that foam is not shampoo!"

Toxic foam can lead to various health hazards. A user stated that the woman would need to see a skin doctor in a few days.

Arre didi woh shampoo nahi hai 😬🤮 pic.twitter.com/4shRnYh8tW — Manish RJ (@mrjethwani_) November 7, 2024

Others said that ignorance is leading them to be in the river with all that toxic foam around them.

"Education plays a crucial role here. It’s heartbreaking to see people using this water, unaware of the health issues they may face," one of the users said.

The foam seen in the river Yamuna is formed by high levels of untreated sewage and industrial pollutants, as per experts.

Chhath festival is the most popular festival in the Indian state of Bihar and in some parts of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. As part of it, women devotees take a dip in the water once in the evening and then again the next morning. People who reside near the Yamuna choose to go there to complete the rituals, while others use makeshift water pits.