This Indian Lake Is So Polluted, It Keeps Catching Fire

There is an Indian lake that is always burning making life difficult for locals. It is Lake Bellandur in Bangalore and once again, the only one responsible for this phenomenon is man. The fires, in fact, would be the result of the continuous, illegal dumping of waste into the lake. As a result, the waters of Bellandur are toxic and nowadays there is still no definitive solution to this situation.

Sometimes it gets covered in a very thick white foam that looks almost like snow. Other times it catches fire creating high columns of smoke visible for miles. We’re talking about a unique Indian lake. In particular, we are in southern India. This is Lake Bellandur in Bangalore and that’s why it catches fire.

Why Does This Indian Lake Burn?

The last fire was last year and it has been documented in the Asian media.

The firemen managed to put out the flames after 30 hours. However, the smoke has reached up to ten kilometers away from the lake and covered most of the city with ash. Less than two weeks later, the lake burned again. The phenomenon therefore continues to repeat itself cyclically. Once again, the only one responsible for this situation is man.

The fires, in fact, would be the result of the continuous dumping of waste into the lake.

Many companies in India’s so-called Silicon Valley illegally dump waste and mix it with untreated waste water from the lake. As a result, a water crisis is being created that threatens the health of the residents of the area and causes the city lakes to burn down.

This lethal mix of factors creates an environment in which it is very easy for the flames to ignite. Both domestic and industrial waste and sewage end up in the lake every day. The flames and white foam are ignited by the methane that is generated by the waste that ferments without oxygen in the lake water.

An Environmental Disaster Repeating Itself

We are facing a real environmental disaster that does not seem to have an immediate end. The waters of Bellandur are toxic and the purification plants will not be operational until 2020. Moreover, it is not even certain that they are enough to solve the problem.

The city as a whole generates between 1400 and 1600 million litres of untreated wastewater per day. 20-30 million litres per day come from apartments near Lake Bellandur. It all starts when people dump solid waste. This creates an anaerobic environment under water, which is ideal for catching fire.

Long before it began its slow and painful death, Lake Bellandur was part of an ingenious irrigation system. It dates back to 1600, when the founders of Bangalore nicknamed it the “city of lakes“. Today, however, the city is a growing metropolis. As a result, it is necessary to take measures before it is too late.