Sema-MT/Cedida Authorities take samples at the Queima-Pé waterfall
is a boy! and fined.
A “gender reveal” party in Brazil last month sparked an investigation after a local waterfall was dyed blue during a couple’s celebration, according to authorities.
Last month, Mato Grosso state’s Environmental Protection Agency (SEMA) reportedly said a family member of the couple had dyed a 59-foot waterfall, Cachoeira Queima-Pé, blue. Washington post.
According to SEMA, the waterfall flows into a river that feeds the Tangará da Serra, an area that has been experiencing drought in recent years.
The original video, which was reportedly removed from Instagram, showed the moment the waterfall turned blue, suggesting the couple were expecting a boy. independentThe clips shared online also show the party’s balloon decorations, gunpowder cannons and cheering guests.
The video sparked a backlash, with many social media users criticizing the use of dyed waterfalls at parties.
“What’s wrong with cutting the cake,” wrote one Reddit commenter, while another wrote, “because who needs water when you have ‘likes’?”
“Seriously, they thought putting dye in a waterfall would be a good idea?!” Brazilian forestry engineer Vanessa Costa reportedly tweeted Washington post.
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SEMA confirmed to PEOPLE that following an investigation, the couple’s relatives were fined BRL 10,000 (about $1,933).
The relative told SEMA on Thursday that he was responsible for launching a substance called “blue lake” into the Brazilian waterfall, which was used in dead bodies of water and swimming pools.
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After being alerted, SEMA said investigators found “no changes in physical parameters of the water, such as colour and others, and no evidence of local fish kills”. Washington post.
The newspaper also reported that the party’s hosts told SEMA they were unaware of any family members planning to use chemical products in the falls.
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Still, in Brazil, the action is considered an “environmental violation,” SEMA told PEOPLE in a statement translated from Portuguese.
The agency said it is illegal in Brazil to “throw solid, liquid or gaseous waste or debris, oil or oily substances that do not comply with the provisions of the law or normative act.”