In a weird incident, a canal in a Buenos Aires suburb turned a deep crimson on Thursday, sparking concern amongst residents. The colourful pink water flowed into the Rio de la Plata estuary, which borders a protected ecological reserve. In accordance with the native newspaper La Verdad, residents described a “nauseating” odour emanating from the water.
Whereas the precise trigger stays unclear, native media speculated that the transformation could also be attributed to the unlawful dumping of textile dye or chemical waste from a close-by storage facility. Residents are additionally pointing fingers at close by leather-based and textile factories, infamous for releasing dye and chemical waste into the Sarandi canal, which finally drains into the Río de la Plata, a waterway shared by Argentina and Uruguay.
| 🇦🇷📹 A “bloody” river seems close to Buenos Aires, Argentina
The Sarandi Canal, working via an space with textile factories and tanneries, has turned vibrant pink, based on the native media. Water samples have been collected to find out the trigger, with native Ministry of the… pic.twitter.com/81xUK3Rm9K
— John Metzner (@JohnRMetzner) February 8, 2025
“The scent woke us up. Within the daytime, once we checked out this facet of the river, it was fully pink, all stained. It appeared like a river lined in blood, it is horrible,” Avellaneda resident Maria Ducomls advised AFP.
Ms Ducomls recounted that her household was jolted awake by the overwhelming stench on Thursday morning, expressing frustration that regardless of quite a few complaints, nobody has defined the continuing air pollution. “We have seen it bluish, greenish, pink and purplish, with a slick of grease on the floor that appears like oil,” Ms Ducomls added.
“Different occasions it was yellow, with an acidic scent that makes us sick even within the throat,” one other native advised the BBC.
In response, Argentina’s Setting Ministry has collected water samples from the Sarandí Canal for additional evaluation to find out the supply of the color change. “On the morning of Thursday 6 February, we acquired a report that the waters of the Sarandí Canal had been dyed pink,” it mentioned in an announcement.
“Our cellular evaluation laboratory was despatched to the world and two litres of water had been taken as samples for fundamental chemical evaluation and liquid chromatography to find out what natural substance was accountable for the discolouration. It’s considered some form of natural colouring.”