Pakistan, July 16 -- At sunrise every day, 67-year-old Ramu Gupta walks to the Yamuna River in Delhi with a blue bag, ready to dive for coins and scraps. He is one of hundreds of "gotakhors," or river divers, who risk their health searching beneath polluted waters for valuables tossed into the river. Gupta earns about 5,000 rupees a month from his finds, which he saves for his grandchildren's future.

For many Hindus, rivers are sacred, and the Yamuna holds deep spiritual value. Pilgrims often throw coins, jewellery, and other offerings into the water during religious rituals. These items become the target of divers who collect them to sell in Delhi's busy scrap market. Gupta, a part-time toilet cleaner, has followed this routine every mo...