Bengaluru sources have stated that the residents on the Yemlur side of Bellandur spotted smoke on Friday morning, as the lake full of sewage, chemical effluents and construction debris went up in flames. Meanwhile, Meenakshi who resides in Orchid Lake View apartment complex, said “Thick black smoke was seen around 10.00 am from the lakebed."
As per the study by the Karnataka Lake Development Authority, nodal authority of lakes and tanks in the state had said that Bellandur Lake is the largest of the 262 lakes and tanks in Bengaluru as it receives about 40% of the city's sewage. Further the state Lokayukta set a time frame to the civic agencies in Bengaluru responsible for the upkeep of the lakes to remove encroachment after Irrigation officials agreed on record that all lakes had been encroached upon and polluted.
According
to sources Lokayukta himself is set to personally inspect all the lakes in the
city later this month. However, Bellandur is not the only lake to catch fire in
Bengaluru and even the Varthur Lake caught fire in May, 2017 after some garbage
was set on fire.
