People living in Avellaneda, a town six miles (10 kilometres) from the center of the Argentine capital, described being woken by a stench emanating from the river.
"The smell woke us up. In the daytime, when we looked at this side of the river, it was completely red, all stained," Maria Ducomls told AFP.
"It looked like a river covered in blood, it's horrible," the 52-year-old said.
The Ministry of the Environment for the province of Buenos Aires said in a statement that water samples had been taken to determine what substance had caused the discoloration, citing the possibility of an "organic dye".
The color of the stream, which flows through an area of textile and hide processing factories, had faded by late afternoon, according to an AFP journalist.
"It's terrible, you don't have to be an inspector to see how much pollution the poor Sarandi River suffers from," said Ducomls, who has lived in the area for more than 30 years.
"We have seen the river in other colors -- we've seen it bluish, greenish, pink, purplish, with grease on top that looks like oil," she said, blaming nearby factories for dumping waste into the river.
Amsterdam to ban polluting pleasure boats in April
Amsterdam (AFP) Feb 6, 2025 -
The authorities in Amsterdam announced Thursday a new ban on polluting pleasure boats on its world famous city centre canals, citing the health effects of bad air quality.
Starting April 1, only electric, hydrogen or rowing boats will be allowed, a statement read. "The city's polluted air is bad for the health of Amsterdam residents," it added.
Air pollution, worsened by climate change, increases the risk of suffering from respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer.
"This is why we are working on improving air quality" with free-emission zones, the authorities said.
The ban should contribute to lowering carbon dioxide emissions and also noise pollution.
"This means no more diesel fumes on our canals but silent and clean sailing powered by electricity, hydrogen or muscle strength," the statement read, adding that the ban will not apply to houseboats, or on the city's major sailing routes.
Hybrid boats will be allowed, as long as they do not pollute.
New, stricter regulation targeting tourist river boats already came into effect earlier this year, according to Dutch public broadcaster NOS.
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