The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday pulled up the Karnataka government soon after toxic foam had formed on Varthur lake, which had then led to massive traffic jams.

The bench, headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, said, “First you put your lakes on fire and now cause traffic jam. You can’t do this,” PTI reported. The government was asked to look into what had led to the toxic foam forming on the lake yet again. The counsel for the state’s pollution board told the tribunal that it would update them on the next date of the hearing.

The matter came up after a lawyer informed the tribunal about the foam and that it had caused a massive inconvenience to the public. The foam had caused traffic jams and people had complained of a heavy stench from the lake after the toxic foam incident. The toxic foam had flown on to Whitefield Road, hit vehicles and commuters in their faces and had severely affected traffic. The wire mesh built around the boundary of the lake had also failed to control the froth from entering the streets.

Earlier this year, Bengaluru’s Bellandur Lake had caught fire because of pollutants. The smoke from the fire had persisted for days, and the NGT had asked for action after that as well.