Seen from the sky: Polluted waters around the world

An aerial view shows rotten trees in a toxic lake near southwestern town of Yatagan in Mugla province, Turkey, February 24, 2021. The toxic lake, known as an ash dam, is created by a mix of waste water and polluted ash which are both produced at the nearby Yatagan power station, according to environmental activist Deniz Gumusel. The lake contains heavy metals such as selenium, cadmium, boron, nickel, copper and zinc that are leaking into the earth and groundwater of the Yatagan Plain, an agricultural plain that feeds both Yatagan and Mugla towns. It is one of 15 ash dams in Turkey, which environmental organizations are trying to tackle, to stop them from causing further damage to nature. (Image: Reuters)

An aerial view shows a discarded sofa on the Tiete river near Ecological Tiete Park in Sao Paulo, Brazil, March 17, 2021. The Rio Tiete, which flows like a vast open sewer though Brazil's largest city Sao Paulo, is among the most polluted in the country. Over 100 km of the river are considered dead or too polluted for almost all marine life. The stinking river, which receives hundreds of tonnes of untreated sewage and waste every day, is a black mark on Brazil's wealthiest city. (Image: Reuters)

An aerial view shows domestic waste floating on the stream of the Citarum river in Bandung, Indonesia, March 15, 2021. The government has pledged to clean the Citarum river, considered among the world's most polluted, and make the water there drinkable by 2025, but household and industrial waste have continued to flow in its stream. (Image: Reuters)

An aerial view shows the Cuyahoga River in Akron, Ohio, U.S., March 17, 2021. In 1969 the Cuyahoga River caught fire due to pollution, causing congress to pass the clean water act and the Ohio EPA was formed. (Image: Reuters)

An aerial view shows hoverboats on the ice of lake Baikal near the village of Bolshoye Goloustnoye in Irkutsk region, Russia, March 8, 2021. Lake Baikal remains one of the world's cleanest fresh water reservoirs. But pollution and the growth of weeds are harming microorganisms, sponges and some molluscs that filter its waters. The Baikal pulp and paper mill and its sewage treatment facilities were closed seven years ago, but pollution has spread significantly since then, according to local media. That, some experts say, is because pollution left behind at the industrial site is draining into the lake. (Image: Reuters)

An aerial view shows cars moving next to the Interceptor Poniente canal in Cuautitlan, State of Mexico, Mexico, March 18, 2021. Drainage system waterways around densely-populated Mexico City, like the Interceptor Poniente, are heavily polluted with sewage and trash from nearby communities. Access to reliable water services is limited in low-income areas. Mexico has one of the lowest shares of its population connected to public wastewater treatment plants in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, according to the agency. (Image: Reuters)

An aerial view shows people fishing from a wooden bridge at the Pisang Batu river, which flows through a densely populated area and is polluted by domestic waste, in Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, March 16, 2021. Pisang Batu river, on the outskirts of Jakarta, made national headlines in 2019 after plastic garbage and organic waste from nearby households completely covered its surface stretching 1.5 kilometres. The river has fewer waste after several cleanup operations, but the water is black, emitting a strong odour. (Image: Reuters)

An aerial view shows disposed garbage on the shore of Guanabara bay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 17, 2021. One of the legacy promises of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro was the cleanup of Guanabara Bay. After four years, the situation has worsened, according to data from state environmental institute Inea. The environmental degradation of the water bodies in metropolitan Rio is putting at both local ecosystems and public health at risk, says Brazilian biologist Mario Moscatelli. (Image: Reuters)