Bengaluru Bellandur lake fire doused: Check stunning images of how 5000 Army jawans made it possible

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A huge fire emanated from the highly polluted Bellandur lake, the biggest water body of the city, giving anxious moments to hundreds of residents living nearby. The locals noticed huge clouds of smoke billowing from the lake replete with sewage, chemical effluents and construction debris. The fire was in the middle of the wetlands, fire brigade officials said. Soon pictures and videos of the smoke and fire went viral even as various government agencies and Defence personnel doused the blaze, which also raised concerns about apathy of civic agencies towards a recurring problem in the lake. According to Defence officials, a strong contingent of 5,000 army jawans of the ASC centre led by Major General N S Rajpurohit doused the fire in the lake. (PTI Photo)

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Spread over 1,000 acres near the infotech hub, the lake is highly contaminated receiving 60 per cent of the sewage generated in the city. (Image: Reuters)

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The lake is in bad shape despite the National Green Tribunal pulling up the government and its various agencies for failing to prevent pollution and not doing enough to restore the lake to its pristine glory. (PTI Photo)

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Bengaluru Mayor R Sampath Raj said the fire seems to be an outcome of the accumulation of chemicals. (PTI Photo)

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Following the incident, a blame game erupted between the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and the defence department. (PTI Photo)

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The defence department maintained that the fire was in the lake area and not anywhere near the land held by it. (PTI Photo)

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The state government is going to spend Rs 80,000 crore in the next 75 days on various projects but not a single penny will be spent on the improvement of any of the lakes in Bengaluru, Chandrasekhar alleged. (Image: Reuters)

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In 2015, the lake had turned into a frothy, foam-filled water body due to the high concentration of pollutants in the water. Foam from the lake had spilled onto the roads and other areas surrounding the lake. (PTI Photo)