Bengaluru’s Bellandur lake catches fire, thick smoke engulfs the area

A heavy blanket of smoke has engulfed part of southern Bengaluru on Friday morning after debris by the Bellandur lake caught fire.

Thick smoke enveloped Bellandur lake after a fire broke out when garbage strewn around it was set ablaze, a fire department official said on Friday.

An official stands by as smoke billows from Bellandur lake in the IT belt of the Bengaluru.(ANI)

The incident triggered panic among motorists on the busy Sarjapur main road.

“Usually, a pile of garbage strewn around the lake is set on fire, but yesterday it caused a scare among residents and motorists as the smoke started billowing and surrounding the lake in the evening,” KU Ramesh, deputy director at Karnataka Fire Department, said.

The fire was doused in half an hour, Ramesh said.

The area, for a while, was enveloped by huge clouds of smoke, he added.

Residents hit out at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials for their “lackadaisical” attitude to stop dumping of garbage.

The Bellandur lake turned into a frothy, foam-filled water body in 2015 due to the high concentration of pollutants in the water. (HT Photo)

Karnataka State Pollution Control Board chairman Lakshman said notices have been issued to the BBMP, Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewage Board and other agencies to stop the dumping. He also said the board is in the process of inspecting sewage treatment plants in the area.

The lake has been in the news for the last one year for spillover of froth and toxic fumes.

In 2015, foam from the lake spilled over on to roads and other spaces surrounding the lake. At the time, authorities insisted that the foam was from the detergents households discharged into the river.

However, toxic chemical waste is often discharged into the river too.