The Varthur lake in the Whitefield area of Bengaluru foamed once again, after heavy pre-monsoon showers hit the city on the evening of Sunday, May 28. The foam from the lake soon spilt onto the streets, causing great inconvenience to commuters along the roads that surround the lake.
Bengaluru has witnessed several such instances of lakes foaming, the most famous of which was the Bellandur lake. Effluents from surrounding industries end up in these lakes, often causing unusual phenomena there. Possibly the worst of these incidents was when portions of the lake actually caught fire!
The situation has earned Bengaluru and its authorities the scrutiny of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which had in April this year pulled up the Karnataka government for not cleaning the toxic foam that had been causing Bellandur lake to "flame on". Following the rebuke, the NGT had also ordered the shutting down of industries around the Bellandur lake to ensure that it returns to its normal state.
And now a similar situation is unfolding with Varthur lake as well. Citizens there have complained of not only toxic foam spilling onto the streets but also an unbearable stench coming from the lake, brought on possibly by the effluents dumped into the water body by industries and the death of flora and fauna as a result of it.
Watch the videos of the lake foaming here:
#WATCH Karnataka: Varthur lake in Bengaluru spills toxic foam pic.twitter.com/WC5QcFrHq7
— ANI (@ANI_news) May 29, 2017
That's #Bangalore #VarthurLake for you@BlrCityPolice @WFRising pic.twitter.com/bgvSzI4g6r
— Khalid Raza (@khalidraza9) May 29, 2017