The water in three Russian reservoirs is unnerving locals, with the unusual pink hue so bright it can be seen from space. Industrial waste has been mooted as a cause but the color change has so far stumped armchair investigators.

The side-by-side reservoirs located near the town of Alekseevka, a village in the Samara region, are currently giving off a shocking pink hue.The perplexing color change can even be seen from satellite images of the area.

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Locals have blamed the bizarre transformation of the three large artificial lakes on nearby industrial companies. However, an official conclusion has not been settled upon.

Speaking to Yahoo News, ecologist Sergey Simak said the electrifying color could also be down to sediment of underlying rock or the growth of algae.

A similar phenomenon saw Melbourne authorities warn residents not to take a dip in the city’s Westgate Park lake which turned from blue to pink due to very high salt levels. Whatever is behind the Alekseevka metamorphosis, it’s probably best to stay out of the water for the time being.

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