A fire erupted at Bengaluru’s Bellandur Lake on Thursday night, caused by a burning garbage mound in the lake's buffer zone, officials confirmed. The flames sparked alarm among residents in the vicinity, but authorities assured that toxic chemicals in the lake water were not involved.
Personnel from the Sarjapur fire station and marshals deployed by the city civic body, Bruhath Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), quickly responded to bring the situation under control. According to officials, ragpickers and laborers in the area may have inadvertently started the fire while burning waste, including plastic and insulated wires, to extract copper.
This is not the first time Bellandur Lake, Bengaluru’s largest water body spread over 906 acres, has witnessed such incidents. Fires in May 2015 and January 2018 were attributed to pollutants in the lake's water. The lake, once a thriving ecosystem, has suffered due to unchecked pollution from untreated sewage, industrial waste, and garbage dumping.
The lake’s degradation has been exacerbated by urban encroachments and the rapid pace of Bengaluru’s development. Its water is now unfit for irrigation, and its surface frequently froths with massive clouds of foam, spilling onto nearby roads.
Ironically, the fire occurred on the same day Bengaluru was ranked India’s most liveable city in the Ease of Living Index 2020. The incident highlights the urgent need for sustainable urban planning and effective waste management to restore Bellandur Lake’s ecological balance.