Bengaluru’s important water bodies including the Bellandur and Yemlur lakes are reported to have caught fire due to industrial effluents. These two along with the Agaram, Chellagatta, Madiwala and Varthur lakes to which they’re connected, are not just suffering from the effects of industrial waste flowing into them. The unchecked and rapid urbanization of what is popularly known as the Silicon Valley of India, means the disposal of sewage as well as construction materials has not been planned properly.
For quite some time, the sorry state of the Varthur, Bellandur, Yemlur and other lakes mentioned above, has been documented by the media, environmentalists and ecologists. The Bengaluru government has been slow to take any action in the matter and has not made any announcement about serving notices to the 100 or so industries dumpling their effluents into the water bodies. The Indian public’s awareness about this situation was raised when videos and images of these lakes overflowing with froth started hitting news and social networks.
But the citizens residing in these heavily polluted zones around Bengaluru have been staring at the ecological disaster in the face for too long. Deccan Chronicle notes that flames were observed in the Yemlur lake between the HAL Airport and Bellandur Wetland complex. Acting upon a request by the Upa Lokayukta, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) undertook the task of presenting a report on the current ailment afflicting the lakes. Now remember that the city’s government bodies (BBMP and KSPCB) say industrial waste does not get into the lakes.
To no one’s surprise, IISc’s study found traces of flammable chemicals in water samples taken from the Yemlur lake. This can hardly be discharged from household sewage lines. The froth caught fire because of the presence of these pollutants. Additionally, the pre-monsoon showers caused heavy metals deposited in the lake system to come to the surface. Samples of water taken from where froth and flames were seen, turned out to contain phosphorous and hydrocarbons, said Dr T V Ramachandra, head of the Energy and Wetlands Research Group at the IISc.
Until Bengaluru authorities take stringent action against industries allowing their effluents to flow into the chain of lakes including Bellandur, Varthur and Yemlur, we’ve not seen the last of the fires.