Featured Image Credit: CEN
Topics: News, Environment
Ali Condon
An expecting couple have come under fire after going all-out and dyeing a beautiful, natural waterfall in Brazil bright blue as part of their baby's gender reveal party.
The mum and dad-to-be, who have not been identified by local reporters, shared videos from the gender reveal party to Instagram, but quickly deleted the footage from social media when heavy backlash from the public ensued.
It wasn't long before the waterfall in question was identified as the Queima-Pe River waterfall, near the town of Tangara da Serra in Brazil.
Advert
The waterfall, which is 18 metres tall (59 feet), is situated six kilometres from the centre of the town and has become a well-known ecological tourism destination.
It's also part of the Queima-Pe River, which is the main source of water supply for the municipality of Tangara da Serra.
Residents of the area have been especially reliant on the river's supply as of late, thanks to periods of heavy drought in recent months.
So, that would explain why it didn't take very long for the gender reveal party stunt to spark some serious uproar - especially among those local to the area.
What was originally intended to be a jaw-dropping spectacle for the 50-person gender reveal party quickly became an environmental issue, with concerns over possible water contamination.
It wasn't long before people on social media were calling for the couple who organised the party to be arrested for environmental crimes.
"Congratulations...you will be the parents of a beautiful environmental crime," commented environmental engineer Vanessa Costa.
Although there have been no charges filed as of Wednesday (28 September), investigations are now underway.
After the videos went viral online, the Secretary of State for the Environment of Mato Grosso state (Sema-MT) confirmed they are investigating the matter to find out if there had been an environmental crime committed at the party.
"The inspection will investigate the environmental damage caused by the material thrown into the water," read the statement.
"If there is an environmental crime, those responsible will be charged and may be held accountable for an environmental crime."
Local reports have also stated that the Municipal Environment Department is monitoring the case.
Speaking to G1, one of the party planners responsible for the reveal stated that no chemical product was used on the waterfall, but that he would only comment on the situation after Sema had completed a full inspection.