Residents were shocked when they saw columns of smoke near the Bellandur lake, adjacent to the Iblur military campus, in Bengaluru on Thursday, 29 November.
Fire tenders rushed to the spot, shortly after noon. According to eye-witnesses, it took an hour to control the fire.
A Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) official clarified that the fire had actually started in the Iblur Firing Range of the Army Service Corps (ASC) – and not within lake boundaries.
But the fumes were enough to rattle the residents.
Columns of 'Black Smoke’
Bharathi Mani, a resident of Bellandur, said that she first saw the flames from her apartment around 12:30 pm.
“It seemed to be a big fire. I could see the flames also. The smoke was very black and looked threatening. We called 101 and they said they had dispatched fire engines already. But, it died down within the hour.”
Not Within Lake Boundaries but in the Army Area
Shivakumar, BDA Engineer, said that the fire had actually broken out inside the army area.
“They were having firing practice and it resulted in a fire. I’m not sure, but I believe some tires may have caught fire. They were the ones who alerted the fire department,” he said.
Bellandur lake’s froth and resultant fumes have been a long-standing civic issue for the city, with even the National Green Tribunal taking cognisance of the incidents. A government-appointed panel has advised on the matters of restoration, including transferring the ownership of the lake from the civic body BBMP to the BDA for better management.
The Bellandur lake had made headlines internationally when The Guardian had called it “Bangalore’s lake of toxic foam” in 2015.
Restoration efforts to revive the lake have been going on for the past year. Citizen marshals have also been appointed to monitor the activity around the lake, prevent dumping and identify offenders.
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