Bengalureans surviving toxic lake churning froth, fire for a decade
The sight of a frothing lake and tiny foam clouds being blown about by wind might be unusual for most, but for Bengalureans, it’s just another day by the Varthur lake.
For residents of the area, which is part of the information technology hub of Bengaluru, this has been the reality for a decade. “For the past 10 years I have lived here, this has been a very common sight,” said M Nagaraj who has lived here for 48 years.
The lake was the area’s main source of water. “Now we have to rely on borewells,” he said.
Bengaluru’s lakes — about 600 large and small ones — have been the casualty of the city’s rapid expansion since 2001.
“When authorities allowed constructions in the area during the years the city expanded, they did not make adequate provision for sewage... We have reached a stage where these lakes have become unusable,” said environmentalist AN Yellappa Reddy.
Officials at Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority refused to comment .
The froth isn’t just an environmental problem; Nagaraj says residents suffer from respiratory problems.
And this isn’t the case just with Varthur lake. Researchers found that 90% of the lakes in Bengaluru are affected because of the “sustained inflow of untreated sewage and industrial effluents”.