Vrishabhavathi water turns frothy dark yellow

Vrishabhavathi River, a dirty stream that flows through South and West Bengaluru, has changed its colour from black to dark yellow to turquoise blue in the past month, flummoxing people living along its banks.

While it's not the first time that the river water has changed colour, the latest phenomenon occurred about a month ago. Namami Vrishabhavathi, a citizens' group, brought the matter to the notice of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) but the authorities apparently didn't pay heed.

Things worsened last week when the water turned soapy, resembling caustic soda, said a resident of Sri Krishna Garden Layout, RR Nagar.

Days later, the water in the river and the adjoining stormwater drains turned turquoise blue with a lot of froth. Two days ago, it became yellow. On Thursday morning, a pungent smell filled the air with the water turning dark yellow, the resident said.

Despite assurances from Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Anand Singh and other officials to fix the problem, nothing has changed on the ground.

Midnight inspection

A resident alleged that officials had inspected the river at midnight and reported back to their higher-ups that there was no suspicious discharge into the waterbody. The resident said he was certain that something was being discharged into the river during the early morning hours.

Dr Nagaraj Siddappa, Joint Commissioner, RR Nagar, BBMP, claimed he hadn't received any complaint about the matter but promised to ask KSPCB officials to inspect the area.

Residents suspect that electroplating and textile dyeing industries were discharging untreated effluents into the river. But the KSPCB is yet to take water samples for testing.

"We are yet to determine the exact reason for the problem. It should be looked at in its entirety," K Srinivasulu, Member Secretary, KSPCB, told DH. The board has called a meeting with elected representatives and BBMP and BWSSB officials next week to get to the root of the problem and find a permanent fix, he added.

The KSPCB has also formed a special committee that's considering using drone cameras to inspect the river water and identify the source of the effluent discharge, if any. Srinivasulu promised the KSPCB would come up with a proper action plan to fix the problem.