Fact Check: Plastic-choked water body is from India? No, video shows polluted Guatemalan river
A video has been circulating online, claiming it shows plastic waste washing up on the shores of a water body in India.
By - Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows mounds of plastic waste polluting a water body in India.
Fact:The claim is false. The video shows plastic waste washing up on the shores of the Motagua River in Guatemala in 2022.
Hyderabad: A video showing mounds of plastic waste washing up on the shores of a water body has been circulating on social media, claiming that the visual is from India.
Taking a jibe at India, an X account, based out of India, shared the video with the caption, “You pay carbon taxes, sky-high energy bills, banned plastic straws, and carry useless paper bags that tear instantly. All to ‘save the environment.’ Meanwhile in India… (sic)”
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the video was filmed in Guatemala in 2022.
A reverse image search of the video’s keyframe led us to it being posted by X handle of CBS News on June 22, 2022.
According to the media outlet, the video shows plastic waste washing up on the shores of the Motagua River in Guatemala. The post also stated that, according to environmentalists, the Motagua River is considered one of the most polluted rivers in the world.
We also found the video published by a verified YouTube channel, 4Ocean, on June 9, 2022. The channel stated that the video depicts Guatemala’s coastlines.
Another YouTube channel, The Scottish Sun, published the video on June 23, 2022, titled ‘Shocking footage of plastic washing up on the beach of Guatemala.’ The channel also stated that footage was captured by Florida-based environmental organisation 4Ocean on June 7, 2022.
Therefore, we conclude that the video was filmed in Guatemala in 2022, not India. Hence, the claim is false.
