Just before dawn on Saturday morning, near HAL, yellowish-flames emerged out of the white, bubbly froth that had covered the lake for the past few weeks. For more than five minutes, the flames spread amidst the undulations of the nearly four-feet-high froth.
Utterly puzzled by the phenomena Siddaramaiah, Regional Officer (Bommanahalli division) of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), said this was the first time in the city that froth or debris on top of the lake was reported to have instantaneously combusted.
“We believe it is because of methane build up along the surface. Sewage has been following into the lake, and a layer of oil and froth – which is caused by accumulating chemicals from detergents and cleaners – had formed. In one area, methane gas had started to accumulate within the froth. This is a highly combustible gas, and it must have caught on fire,” he said.
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