BENGALURU: A fire that erupted on Bengaluru's Bellandur Lake, emitted thick clouds of smoke cause serious traffic hazards. Angry residents vented out on micro-blogging site Twitter, calling it a "tragic sight." Industrialist Kiran Mazumdar Shaw termed it "shocking apathy and serious neglect".
Concerned officials said the incident was caused by burning of garbage and grass. The fire reportedly began with a bunch of dried up hyacinth and weed surrounding the lake. Senior fire officer Ravi Chauhan said, "The fire is because of dry grass. Not pollutants. It was white smoke." The rolling clouds of smoke caused panic among drivers on nearby roads, with the traffic making it difficult for firemen to reach the scene. "We got a call around 5.15 pm. Our unit reached there and put out the fire. It was difficult to get there since it as sinking because of silt," said KU Ramesh, Deputy Director, Fire and Emergency Services.
The lake remains surrounded by high rises, meaning the fire prompted major discomfort among nearby residents. They allege that weeds and dry grass are regularly burnt in the area without supervision, by garbage collectors. "The problem has got complex over years, we have issued notices and scrutinised 650 apartments. The civic bodies have assured us they will stop sewage," said Lakshman, chairman of the Karnataka Pollution Control Board. It is yet to be derived whether the toxic chemicals that are poured into the lake which covers over 4 km, served as an amplifier.
The government have hired experts to develop plans to cleanse the lake. However, there has been no implementation of any action plan so far. Bellandur and Varthur are two major lakes in Bengaluru, which have been ruined because of constant dumping of untreated sewage and toxic chemicals and detergents from small factories. When asked if the fire was because of high pollution levels, Environment Minister Anile Madhav Dave said he "cannot make such a passing remark, will have to study the reasons as why the fire happened."
