Toxic foam covers popular beaches in India
Crowds recently flocked to the polluted beaches in Chennai, India after a mystery foam blanketed the water.
The foam is a regular occurrence in parts of India, formed in part by weather conditions and several toxic pollutants present in the water.
The froth has blanketed some of the area's most popular beaches and comes courtesy of post-monsoon rains and pollutants. Experts say the rain has carried untreated sewage and chemicals from washing detergent down to the sea and onto beach shores.
Despite safety warnings from officials, several children could be seen playing in the toxic foam over the weekend.
"It is definitely not good for people to go into the foam but they just do not understand the risks," Pravakar Mishra, a scientist at the National Centre for Coastal Research in Chennai, told AFP.
Only about 40 per cent of Chennai's sewage is properly treated, according to AFP.
