Other than never-ending traffic jams and poisonous foam in water bodies, burning garbage on empty plots of land is a common sight in Bengaluru.
The residents of plush high-end apartments of Shetty Halli and Mallasandra, who have been breathing these toxic fumes, can’t seem to put a stop to the burning.
“The waste is generally burnt overnight, and we tend to spot the fumes early in the morning. There are over 700 apartments in this area and all of us are getting affected by it,” TS Manoj, a resident, said.
So What’s the ‘Burning’ Issue?
According to the residents, the smoke from the scorched garbage begins rising from as early as 6 am and goes on till afternoon. For Arun Patel, a resident of Shetty Hill, that means that leaving the windows open is a big problem. “Most of the burning takes place on barren lands within 100 metres of my apartment. Hence, if the windows are kept open, breathing itself is a problem,” Arun Patel said.
The waste being burnt usually consists of plastic, bio-medical waste and other chemicals. Then trenches are dug to dump and burn the waste on empty stretches of land in and around the Shetty Halli and Mallasandra areas.
I have myself seen PVC pipes burning; the motive being, to extract the copper that is within them by heating the wires.Prasun Nandi, Resident
But shutting the windows isn’t enough to keep the toxic fumes at bay. Most of the residents in the area have been dealing with health issues like respiratory problems and irritation in the eyes.
Who Is Accountable?
The residents have filed multiple complaints with supervisors, along with holding a series of meetings with Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) health inspectors and other officials.
But since the waste is generally burnt late in the night, the residents have not been able to identify the individuals behind this. However, they suspect that the BBMP officials have a huge role to play.
The burning of garbage on vacant lands has been taking place right under the BBMP’s nose. I don’t understand why they have not taken up any effective measures to curb it.Abhijit Chakraborty, Resident
Despite considerable surveillance, the BBMP claim that they have not been able to arrive at a clear picture. “We have been keeping an eye on the places where garbage is generally dumped. However, there is no conclusive evidence yet,” said MV Gangulappa, Supervisor, BBMP.
The Shetty Halli and Mallasandra areas are located almost twenty kilometres away from the city and are characterised by huge plots of empty land. “It is quite challenging to keep track of such a vast stretch of land. Most of these plots are owned by private individuals and it seems like they have been rented out to dump garbage,” said Praveen Kumar, Health Inspector BBMP.
However, Lokesh N, Corporator of the Mallasandra ward, said that ragpickers are the real culprits.
As per the inspections we have conducted, the garbage collectors’ aka ‘pourakarmikas’ are the ones who have been setting ablaze all the garbage. We caught them red-handed during the course of our search.Lokesh N, Corporator
The BBMP has decided to set up a fence along empty plots of land in Shetty Halli and Mallasandra. “A tender worth Rs 20 lakh has been raised to fix the existing fences and also build new ones, so as to prevent miscreants from burning garbage in these areas,” said Lokesh.
The BBMP Council also held a meeting on 27 December 2017 to discuss the air quality in Bengaluru and are planning to impose fines ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh on those who burn garbage on vacant land.
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