A river in a suburb of Buenos Aires in Argentina has turned red, sparking concern among residents. Footage and images of the Sarandi watercourse - which flows into the Rio de la Plata estuary - show the sudden change in color. Many residents and officials suspect the color change was due to chemical waste from the many industrial facilities in the area, particularly leather tanneries.
It is not the first time it has changed color, according to local media reports, with residents raising fears of contamination. "I have lived here all my life. Today, we have this red water. It has been grey, it has been green, it has been violet, bluish... very brown," one resident told La Nacion. "On other days we have a thick yellow layer that left the top hard and had an acidic smell," another local told Pagina 12.
Officials went to the site to take away samples of the red water for testing. The region's environment ministry told La Nacion samples of the water would be analyzed to find out what "is causing the discoloration". Later, the Buenos Aires Ministry of the Environment identified an "organic dye" as the probable cause and officials also noted the presence of aniline, a chemical used in dyes and other products.
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