Bellandur lake fire brought under control after seven hours, 5,000 Armymen helped douse flames
The blaze in the Yemlur side of the lake had begun to spread to other parts as well as the grass surrounding it.
More than 5,000 Armymen were called in to help control the Bellandur lake fire in Bengaluru on Friday. It took them and firefighters over seven hours to control the blaze, NDTV reported.
The 1,000 acre expanse of the Bellandur lake is infamous for severe pollution and froth that spills over and catches fire. Friday’s blaze was the first time it caught fire in 2018. Huge plumes of smoke could be seen billowing over the lake even from a distance.
The flames were doused on Friday evening, but started again later in the evening in two places. A jet fighter engine that can throw water up to 300 metres was sent to the city’s largest lake. An Armyman was bitten by a snake during the operation as the heat from the fire forced several reptiles out of the lake, Major General Narpat Singh Rajpurohit, commandant of the Army Service Corps Centre told NDTV.
A major fire on Belundur Lake in Bengaluru was brought under control after tireless efforts of over 7 hours by the Army in conjunction with the civil administration on 19 January 2018. Alert troops saved the fire from spreading into the heavily populated civilian area.#IndianArmy pic.twitter.com/Moe1ohdCcu
— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) January 20, 2018
#BellandurLake fire controlled but smoke still coming out.. @DGP_FIRE and Army jawans on work pic.twitter.com/evUuCJ5FqF
— yasir mushtaq (@path2shah) January 20, 2018
It was the Yemlur side of Bellandur lake that caught fire on Friday afternoon. But by late evening, the flames had begun to spread to other parts of the lake. Fifty firefighters and 12 fire engines tried to douse the flames, The NewsMinute reported.
The joint commissioner of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (Mahadevapura zone), Dr Vasanti Kumara, said grass in the area had powered the flames. Firemen at the lake said the situation was “extremely grim”. “The wind is changing directions, too, but there is no reason to panic,” they added.
This is the fourth time since 2015 that the lake caught fire. The city’s two largest lakes – Bellandur and Varthur – are regularly affected by froth. Environmentalists blame the practice of dumping untreated sewage and pollutants in the lakes for the severe pollution.
Residents from the area have asked the government time and again to take action to stop the lake from foaming. Many have also criticised the civic bodies for failing to address the problem.
In April 2017, the National Green Tribunal had ordered the Karnataka government to shut down all industrial units around the Bellandur lake. It had also announced a fine of R 5 lakh to be imposed on anyone dumping waste in and around the lake.
