Pollution in Delhi has escalated to dangerous levels, with the Yamuna river now possessing a thick layer of toxic foam.

Footage from December 15 shows the foam covering the water under a highway bridge.

The foam is caused by the high phosphate content of the water from the dumping of detergents and waste being churned up in the Okhla barrage waterfall.

The national capital and its adjoining regions have been experiencing a severe pollution crisis. The situation has become so grave that not only the air, even the water bodies situated in Delhi such as the Yamuna river near Kalindi Kunj area have become completely toxic.

A thick foam formed on the Yamuna river due to the release of toxic pollutants into the water body. Attributed to the high phosphate content of the water, the thick foam is also caused due to the dumping of waste. These detergents and other organic matter gets deposited in the riverbed when the river is flowing normally. When more water is released upstream, it falls from a height on reaching the Okhla Barrage, leading to turbulence and churning which causes froth.

Yamuna River fulfills three-quarters of the capital's water needs. Several polluting industrial units pollute the water of the river on a daily basis, regardless of the fact.