In a concerning development in northern India’s Delhi, faecal coliform levels in the Yamuna River reached a record high, causing difficulty for a reporter covering the issue.

The incident took place in Delhi city and the video went viral on October 17,

Visuals showed the reporter navigating the polluted river, battling the heavy presence of harmful coliform forms that posed a clear health risk. The scene highlighted the severity of the contamination.

According to reports, the faecal coliform levels, a marker of untreated sewage and extreme pollution, peaked in September. Despite some improvement in dissolved oxygen (DO) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) levels due to the surplus rain in August, the pollution remains at alarming levels. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) tested the river on September 4 and released the report on October 4. Meanwhile, parts of the river continued to show visible frothing, a sign of surfactants and phosphates mixing with pollutants.

The retreating monsoon on October 2 helped maintain the flow of the Yamuna, with water being released from upstream. This aided the DO levels slightly, but the health of the river remains in serious question.