Varthur Lake froths again: Residents, motorists hit

Bengaluru: On Saturday, the Varthur Bridge looked like it had snowfall on it! Froth from the lake had spilled onto the State Highway 35, making made life difficult for pedestrians and motorists passing through the road in the afternoon.

Treated as a sewage pit, Vathur Lake, one of the two largest lakes in the city, is full of filth and untreated sewage. Situated in Whitefield, the lake spreads across 180.40 hectares (445.8 acres).

Effluents released into the lake have killed all the fish and nearly destroyed the ecosystem of the lake. Desilted last in 1970, the lake has lost its original depth because of collection of silt. In the recent past, the foam from the lake had also caught fire because of chemicals in it.

Amit, a shopkeeper at Varthur, said, "White wisps of foam rise from the lake and float onto the main road regularly. But when the lake overflows, the froth spews from the lake and make life hell for motorists, especially pedestrians using the road or the bridge.”

A statement from Whitefield Rising stated, "The first thing the government needs to do is to desilt the lake. The lake has not been desilted in 47 years. Secondly, all the macrophytes like the weed and the hyacinth have to be removed. The lake needs to be fenced and the government needs to ensure that the lake receives only treated sewage water."

Scientist T.V. Ramachandra of the IISc had earlier told Deccan Chronicle that the froth from the lake is nothing but phosphorus from detergents. He had said that banning phosphorus based detergents would be a major step in helping clean large water bodies like Varthur and Bellandur lakes.

Bellandur and Varthur lakes are the two largest and most polluted lakes in the city. On January 9 this year, the high court expressed concern at the state of Bellandur Lake and assigned two bureaucrats to oversee cleaning of the lake. It is about time something is done about Varthur Lake as it is a sister lake to Bellandur and both are interconnected. Only cleaning Bellandur lake is not going to help solve the problem.