Fluffy white shapes surrounded the cars and bikes, as commuters whipped out their phones to record the scene… This isn’t some future-land where vehicles can fly through the clouds. This is Bengaluru on Monday, where once again, a lake is frothing.
The Whitefiled main road was a surreal sight on Monday was due to the foaming of the Varthur lake, after a heavy pre-monsoon shower hit the city on Sunday evening.
While heavy rains have brought relief from the heat to the city, it has also wreaked havoc across the city. With trees being uprooted, traffic jams and power cuts to add to the woes of the city, toxic foam from the Varthur lake is just adding to the list.
Videos and pictures of white foam afloat on the roads are doing the rounds of social media. Many have taken to social media to express their outrage about the government’s inaction in cleaning up the toxic lakes in the city.
While foaming of the Varthur lake is not new, this time the foam has spilled onto the Whitefield main road inconveniencing commuters and residents.
Local residents and commuters are also complaining about the unbearable stench in the area.
State of Varthur Lake.. Adding commotion on the road! Someone do something.. Really disgusting! @WFRising @BangaloreBuzz pic.twitter.com/LEtQ7Y4myP
— Elmina Jose (@ElminaJose) May 28, 2017
@WFRising @CMofKarnataka keep avoiding this till election, after that ghost of #VarthurLake will be behind you.
— vikas chandra (@vchandraiitk) May 28, 2017
@WFRising @CMofKarnataka Today we observed the poisonous foam of varthur lake travelling to midtown road and nearby locality and kids playing . @unitedbengaluru .
— Rahul (@Rahul_loveIndia) May 26, 2017
Workers were also seen washing the foam back into the lake with a hosepipe.
Courtesy: Twitter/Whitefield Rising
This isn’t the first time that a lake in the city has produced massive soap suds. While Varthur has frothed with chemical effluents several times in the past, Bellandur is another lake in the city prone to foam.
In fact, the Bellandur lake even caught fire twice.
The toxic lakes caught the attention of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which in April pulled up the Karnataka government for not taking action. The NGT has also ordered the shutting down of industries around the Bellandur lake.