Bellandur Lake in Bengaluru again saw a major fire.
The lake exemplifies the larger woes that plague our urban clusters.
What is the status of Bellandur Lake?
Spread over 906 acres in south-eastern Bengaluru, Bellandur Lake is the city’s largest lake with a catchment area of nearly 279 sq km.
It is one of the 70 lakes that survived from the 272 lakes that existed in and around Bengaluru four decades ago.
Until the Eighties, the lake was a vibrant ecosystem that nurtured a variety of birds, fish and insects, and a popular picnicking, boating and fishing site.
The dramatic growth of Bengaluru over the last two decades has led to massive amounts of domestic and industrial waste flowing into the lake.
Encroachments of over 90% of its catchment area by settlements, and the dumping of garbage on its shores, have throttled the flow of water into it.
All this has rendered the lake highly polluted and killed its biodiversity over time due the insane levels of toxicity.
The lake’s water is currently unusable even for irrigation, and the lake’s surface is infamous for gigantic froth clouds that cover its entire surface.
Often, froth also spills over into the many busy roads that skirt its shores.
What caused the current fire?
Recently there was a massive fire that ranged over a 5 acre area of the lake for several hours and required over 5000 fire-fighters to extinguish.
The “Pollution Control Board (PCB)” suspects mischief in triggering the fire.
But some experts have asserted that chemicals and large amounts of methane in the lake may have resulted in an accidental spreading over a vast area.
Notably, the Lake has witnessed small occasional fires in the past too.
Inflammable higher hydrocarbons and organic polymers from nearby industries is the main culprit in fuelling the fires.
Additionally, the large-scale frothing and vegetation (which causes methane formation) is due to phosphorus from detergents used domestically.
What has caused this pathetic situation?
Bellandur Lake’s degradation is merely a pointer to the larger malice, which is the absence of any real accountability for the death of Bengaluru’s lakes.
Notably, “Varthur Lake”, which is the second major lake in the city, is in an almost equally bad state.
Also, the Vrishabhavati River, which like Bellandur was once a drinking water source for the city is now recognised only as an open sewer.
Civic agencies failure to address the unplanned growth of the city has resulted in the unregulated flow of sewage and industrial pollutants into water bodies.
The political will to act has been lacking, as the builder-politician nexus has rendered agencies like the state PCB largely ineffectual over the decades.
More significantly, of the 200-odd lakes that Bengaluru has lost, the government itself has reclaimed several to create infrastructure.
Notably, many bus stands, sports stadiums, housing complexes and even campuses of government undertakings like ISRO lie on erstwhile lakes.
What is the way forward?
Regulation of phosphorus levels in detergents is needed to avoid further frothing and disrupting methane formation (primary cause for fire).
Mandating decentralised sewage treatment, and strictly enforcing “polluter pays principle” for industries dumping untreated waste is needed.
Protection of the catchment area from further deterioration due to real estate projects, garbage dumping and encroachments also needs to be done.
