BENGALURU: The menace of lake frothing is back to haunt city residents. This time, Kaggadaspura lake, and not Bellandur lake, is in news. And the toxic foam generated in the lake near a children’s park in CV Raman Nagar area has left the local residents worried. The level of lake pollution can be gauged from a distance, courtesy the stench that is spreading to a huge area.
This 45-acre water body is covered with hyacinth plants all around and those staying in the vicinity of the lake are concerned about their health. Several apartment complexes surround the lake area.
“We have stopped sending our children to the playground near the lake as the froth is carried by the wind there. My child had started developing rashes on her skin because of frothing,” said Anjana, who resides in a nearby apartment. “It is a matter of both concern and huge inconvenience for us. The froth even enters the balcony of our flat on the fourth floor,” she added.Local residents said the froth formation is not a new occurence.
“The problem has been there for the past two years, but this time it is extreme. Scared of froth, many of my jogging mates have stopped coming here now,” said Selvam, who is regular to the park.
“Sometimes, the stench turns unbearable and I develop breathing issues. Authorities must do something immediately. We do not want another Bellandur lake here,” added the senior citizen.
“The lake has turned so toxic that if we put a cigarette near it, the froth catches fire,” said Vikram, a construction worker.
“We have a wide and clean jogging track with chair near the lake but the stench is unbearable,” said a resident R K Nair. The beautification around the lake has been done utilizing the funds of the C V Raman Nagar Member of Legislative Assembly, S Raghu, but efforts to clean the lake and the construction of Sewage Treatment Plant still remains on paper.
When contacted, mayor Sampath Raj said that he has asked the chief engineer of lakes to visit the area. “We have also constituted a lake coordination committee to study the techniques of diluting the froth,” he added.