Over 5,000 Army personnel were pressed into action on Friday to contain the fire that broke out in Bellandur lake and started spreading into the Iblur firing range of the army.
A major blaze and massive plumes of smoke were first spotted in the morning. While fire tenders were sent to the spot, the vehicles could not access the point of the blaze, said officials.
The fire began, reportedly, in the grasslands by the banks of the massive lake.
Later in the afternoon, the fire started spreading to the army land.
“The fire, which had come up to the perimeter of the army land, has been put out due to the untiring efforts of more than 5,000 army personnel and fire fighting equipment of the ASC College and Centre,” said a statement by the defence forces. The personnel were led by Major General N.S. Rajpurohit, Deputy Commandant and chief instructor, ASC College and Centre.
The second fire that broke out in the evening was later doused at night.
Pollution as a cause?
For residents, the nature of the blaze was testimony to the gathered pollution and decaying organic waste in the lake. Bellandur is no stranger to spontaneous fires. In May 2015, froth in its outlets had caught fire as methane combusted.
“It does seem like a methane burst due to the increasing pollution in the lake. There is a small centre of deep yellow flames, perhaps from the methane, and huge volumes of smoke with a yellowish tinge,” said Sonali Singh, who stays nearby.
However, authorities disputed this theory. Seema Garg, Chief Executive Officer of Karnataka Lake Development and Conservation Authority (KLDCA), said the nature of the blaze made it clear that it was set off either accidentally or intentionally. “The portion which has caught fire is usually harvested for grass by grazers in the area. They harvest the grass and then set a portion on fire to ensure fresh growth. This may have got out of control,” she said.
“Methane build-up in the lake through decades of sludge accumulation could be an aggravating the blaze,” said K. Yellappa Reddy, environmentalist and a retired forest officer. “For the past half a century, sewage has been accumulating, and has resulted in more than 20 feet of sludge. Buildup of methane is bound to happen, and this can help spread the fire,” he said.
