A very strange phenomenonhas appeared on the streets of Navi Mumbai in India. Bright blue dogs have started to appear on the streets. At first, people thought that somebody must be going around dying the dogs' fur, but the reality turned out to be much more bleak.
Discover our latest podcast
The result of pollution
In fact, the dogs' coats are being coloured by the extremely pollutedKasadi River. The water from this river was deemed undrinkable several years ago due to high amounts of chemical waste. According to a local newspaper the levels of pollution in the river reached 13 times as high as this when the blue dogs began appearing in August 2017.
The dogs both drink and swim in the water, and it was literally turning them blue. Animal rights activists campaigned for authorities to do something about the polluted river. A spokesman from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board said:
Allowing the discharge of dye into any water body is illegal. We will take action against the polluters as they are destroying the environment. We have directed our sub-regional officer to investigate.
A serious health concern
The pollution of the river has also had a devastating effect on fishermen in the area as fish in the river have been dying and there are serious health concerns about eating food from such a polluted source. Authorities believe the company Ducol Organics and Colours is responsible for the pollution which is turning the dogs blue and the company have promised to rectify the issue. As a temporary measure, a fence was also placed around the perimeter of the river to try and stop dogs from getting in.
