Varthur Lake froth spills on to Bengaluru streets

BENGALURU: Varthur Lake is back in news for its frothing woes. Since last weekend, the water body has been frothing again. Authorities say increase in toxic pollutants in the lake may have been the trigger.
The lake, located near a tech park in Whitefield, has earned the title of ‘burning lake’ due to the numerous times it has caught fire. Locals rued that directions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) have failed to restore the water body.
Motorists inconvenienced
According to residents from the neighbourhood, the lake had been frothing for four days, but on Tuesday it increased, sending tufts of foam on to the streets and causing inconvenience to motorists.“On Tuesday, the froth spread to the streets,” said lake warden Jagadish Reddy. Usually, froth develops during the rainy season, but its appearance in summer is worrisome, he added.
“The sluice gates installed at the lake are not really helping. Instead, they are only leading to more frothing,” said Ramakanth K a resident of Whitefield.
“The BBMP has been constructing a bridge below the stream and this might have caused a slight disturbance in the water body, leading to formation of froth,” said BA Shivananda, engineering officer at Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). Froth was noticed in the morning, but by evening it was fine, Shivananda claimed.
However, locals TOI spoke to said frothing continued late in the night.
NGT diktat
The NGT had in December 2018 directed the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to remove construction waste and debris from the lakebed.