How Water Pollution Is The Reason Behind Burning Lakes
By Antara Chakrabarti
While natural disasters such as forest fires can cause lakes to burn and become acidic1, human activities can also cause water pollution that risks or reduces the quality of waterbodies. The quality of freshwater sources, including lakes, is threatened by both population growth and industrialization. Freshwater is supplied to homes and local communities and supports a diverse biome, so it is therefore important to conserve freshwater2 sources such as lakes. Unfortunately, sometimes wastes are dumped into lakes without thinking about the consequences. Industrial waste disposal is not strictly regulated in some locations. Despite being aware of the importance of water and waterbodies such as lakes, anthropogenic sources of pollution continue to exist. This article talks about how extreme pollution can lead to burning of lakes (supported by examples), the measures that can be taken to deal with burning lakes, and how such a situation can be avoided. There is no intention to demean any nation or nationality, but rather to spread awareness about a critical issue surrounding water quality.
How Water Pollution Can Cause Lakes To Catch Fire
Fore (1901) defined a lake as a stationary waterbody that occupies a basin and does not have continuity with the sea3. Lakes are surrounded by land and, in many places, lake water is supplied to local households and industries. Pollutants or contaminants released into the air or sewage/wastes entering lakes can pollute them to such an extent that lakes can burn.
There are examples of lakes that caught fire due to water pollution. A lake that has caught fire once can be prone to burning again. This is what happened in Bellandur4 Lake located in Bangalore, also known as Bengaluru, India.
Bellandur Lake caught fire multiple times over the last few years. The exact cause of the incidents was not established, but it has been attributed to the pollution by industries nearby, dumping of wastes by local residents, and construction debris from construction workers. It was found that about 70 million gallons of sewage enters Bellandur Lake on a daily basis, perhaps untreated. The pollutants can release combustible methane gas, which contributes to fire5.
Similar examples of lakes catching fire are the Varthur Lake6 and the Yemalur Lake7, both situated in Bengaluru, India. Untimely heavy showers triggered the polluted lake, causing foam to flow onto the roads. This foam was also termed a “chemical shower”, which was formed in the lake prior to the heavy rainfall due to extreme pollution. The rain and wind pushed the foam onto the roads, thereby causing traffic and inconvenience to the public.
Although there are established standards for toxic industrial disposal, such wastes are released into waterbodies joining lakes or directly into lakes. Besides industrial wastes, some individuals also pollute lakes by throwing litter or plastic into them. If there is agricultural land in the vicinity of a lake, the lake may be polluted due to runoff or soil erosion. Toxic wastes include harmful chemicals such as pesticides, as well as fertilizers, sewage, and crude oil — all of which are potentially flammable. Excessive accumulation of toxic wastes causes lakes to burn. Pollutants remain concentrated and localized in lakes7.
What Happens When Lakes Catch Fire?
When a lake is situated within an area where a forest fire has occurred, the periphery of the lake can get burned. The ash from the fire can make a lake acidic and reduce its acid-neutralizing capacity1. The situation is different when a lake burns due to excessive water pollution. Water pollution, too, reduces the acid-neutralizing capacity of a lake, making it prone to catching fire. The surroundings of a lake burning due to pollution are filled with foam, ash, and froth, as well as harmful gases. These gases get released into the atmosphere and persist there, causing respiratory problems including asthma. The foam-froth and gas combination reduces visibility and causes inconvenience to the public.
Foaming due to burning lake (Image credit: YouTube)
People are unable to pass through or drive because the roadways are filled with froth. Health problems also arise and affect individuals across all age groups. Such incidents can affect business too, because outsiders may refuse to travel to the location where a lake has caught fire. As a result, meetings may get cancelled.
It is difficult to put out fire on lakes because they can go on for hours. For example, in the case of Bellandur Lake in Bangalore, India, the lake burned up to 30 hours4. It may take the help of military force and firefighters to stop the burning. The extent of pollution further caused by burning lakes can be so huge that if not controlled, a place can become uninhabited over time8.
What Can We Do About This?
When a lake is burning, it is best to steer clear of the smoke. The toxic smoke can be harmful, especially for children and elderly. Efforts must be made to put out the fire first. It may need many firefighters and armed forces to guard the area and extinguish the fire. The lake’s surrounding must be fenced to inhibit people from entering the vicinity and avoiding further risk. After putting the burning to a halt, the lake must be cleaned, using suitable equipment as needed, and monitored periodically to prevent a repetition of burning episodes.
How Can We Prevent Lakes From Burning?
We must care for the environment not only on a local scale, but globally, and spread awareness about such issues when we learn about them. Awareness is the first step that can be taken towards reducing water pollution and dealing with critical issues such as the burning of lakes. The local people and administration must be aware of the seriousness of the issue and the severity of the consequences.
It is best to prevent a lake from being so polluted that it catches fire. Lakes catch fire due to water pollution, hence our focus should be to prevent any lake from being polluted. Lake water quality must be checked periodically by standard laboratory tests for water. Bioindicators that are sensitive to water quality can also be used to help determine when water is polluted9. The local public must be made aware about water pollution and its harmful effects, so there is no garbage dumping in any lake. Severe penalties must be imposed to prevent the throwing of trash into waterbodies. Also, the local authority must ensure that industries do not dispose raw sewage into any waterbody, including lakes. Lakes must be regularly cleaned to prevent acidification from air pollutants and resulting eutrophication10. If a lake is surrounded by forest area, precautions must be taken to prevent human-induced forest fires. Air pollution or release of sulfur oxides from vehicular exhausts can also pollute and acidify lakes11. Lime can be used to treat acidic lakes11.
If water quality of lakes is not protected and appropriate actions are not taken, they can catch fire. Necessary actions must be put in place to avoid lakes from burning and, in case of such an incident, the aforementioned measures can be implemented.
Antara Chakrabarti is an Associate Editor at Page Potato (http://pagepotato.com/) and a professional writer. She has two Master’s degrees in Environmental Science discipline, along with research experience. Antara spreads awareness about environmental issues through her writing and provides subject matter expertise. You can find her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Antara_CK9 and/or on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/antara-chakrabarti-enviro9
References
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11. Norweigian Environment Agency. (2018). Liming lakes and rivers [Online] Retrieved from: http://www.miljodirektoratet.no/en/Areas-of-activity1/Inland-waters/Liming-lakes-and-rivers/