Karnataka’s capital, Bengaluru is failing to learn from its mistakes as a part of the Bellandur lake caught fire for the third time due to the illegal dumping of debris in the lake. The lake was on fire for almost three hours on Thursday evening. This was third such incident on the same lake due to the same reason but authorities have failed to realise their mistake. Experts believe that this one of the most understated issues of the city which despite emerging as one of the most developed cities still prefers to burn the garbage.
The incident reportedly took place around 5:50 PM on Thursday evening. The nature of the fire was worse this time as the debris on fire rippled into the lake where toxic chemicals are dumped resulting into fumes. Ambulances were called to the spot immediately to provide treatment of someone gets injured during the incident. Environmental Anil Madhav Dave has condemned the event and has asked for better safety standards. He also said that government will look into the matter and a report is expected by the evening.
Since the fire took place at the lake, even the fire department found itself in a tricky situation. How can we put out a fire in water?” said one fireman. Over the years, Bellandur lake has been in the news for froth that spills around it leading to toxic fumes.
A similar incident took place in August 2016 when the toxic effluents in the Bellandur lake led the froth to burst into flames. Back then, the locals blamed the government for failing to check the pollution levels in the lake. They complained that the government has not taken any action despite the lake being a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Some people also said that foul smell from the lake is suffocating.
Date: February 17, 2017