If you were to walk the streets of New Mumbai at the moment, you might come across a pretty bizarre sight. Locals have found that a handful of stray dogs padding the roads in the area have turned a rather vivid shade of blue.
Despite their initial comical appearance, the colorful look is probably not great for the pooches, who have likely taken a dip in a horribly polluted river.
The canines were spotted in the Taloja industrial area of Navi Mumbai, report’s the Hindustan Times.
Hundreds of food, pharmaceutical, and engineering factories that line the banks of the local Kasadi River have been discharging all their untreated pollutants into the waterway, meaning it now hardly supports life and is completely unfit for human consumption. It is suspected that the dogs waded into the river in search of food and that a chemical released into the water then dyed their fur blue.
The images of the dogs were taken by members of the Navi Mumbai Animal Protection Cell, who have issued a complaint to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). They are worried about the impact that the dye, probably released by an industrial plant, may have on the health of the animals and people who live in close proximity to the river.
“It was shocking to see how the dog’s white fur had turned completely blue,” Arati Chauhan, who runs the animal protection cell and is a local resident of Navi Mumbai, told the Hindustan Times. “We have spotted almost five such dogs here and have asked the pollution control board to act against such industries.”
Whether or not anything will come of the complaints is really anyone’s guess. One local fisherman said that residents have complained before about the horrible levels of pollution in the Kasadi and that very little was done to address the issue.
The MPCB said that a company that makes washing detergents has been identified as the culprit. They have been given seven days to clear the pollutants, as well as prevent any other people or animals from entering the river. The blue dogs are also now being cleaned up.
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