Bengaluru, the IT hub of India, generates about 6,100 tonnes of waste daily. It translates to 452 grams per person per day. How is this staggering volume of waste being managed?
Though the civic body, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), claims that it is a ‘bin-less city’ with 100% door-to-door garbage collection. But its own data shows that only 33% of households are segregating their waste. While arterial roads in the Central Business District are fairly clean, heaps of garbage at street corners are a common sight on most other roads
Experts say that dumping garbage in open places is also posing severe environmental issues.
"There is a garbage mafia in the city," alleges Kathyayini Chamaraj, executive trustee of CIVIC, an NGO.
“Garbage contractors don’t want source segregation/local waste processing units to succeed. They make money from the transportation of mixed waste from streets to landfills. Most garbage vehicles are not designed to collect segregated waste. The high court, in 2012 and 2017, repeatedly instructed BBMP to set up local waste processing in consultation with ward committees to reduce the amount of waste going to the landfills. But there is no political will to execute it,” she said.
Some residents complain that the door-to-door collection of garbage from households is not done properly. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a resident who works in an IT firm and lives in Udaya Nagar in East Bengaluru, said, “BBMP workers don’t come regularly to collect garbage from my house. I can keep dry waste for days, but it’s not the same for wet waste. So, I dump mixed waste on a street corner at night. It’s not just me, everyone in this area does it.”
@BBMPSWMSplComm @BBMPSplHealth @swaccha_bbmp @CMofKarnataka @PMOIndia @narendramodi @BZZameerAhmedK #garbage dumped at nammaBangalore City since months nobody to clear it. It's spreading health hazards kindly do the needful. At guddadahalli #Bangalore location attached with photo pic.twitter.com/MvLDwR6fOP— junaid baig (@BaigJnd) April 21, 2023
Bengaluru's Swachh ranking dips
In the Swachh Survekshan-2022 survey, Bengaluru’s ranking slipped from 28 in 2021 to 43 in 2022 in the category of 45 cities with a population of over 10 lakh. Swachh Survekshan is a ranking exercise undertaken by the Union government to assess the levels of cleanliness and active implementation of the cleanliness mission’s initiatives.
@BBMPCOMM this is not the Bangalore that we want, road side full of garbage. Its a request that municipality can install a garbage can or daily pickup for more convenient rather than firing up the plastic.#bangalore #cleanbangalore pic.twitter.com/7UURUcFtYn— finddknown (@finddknown) March 10, 2023
There are three landfills in Bengaluru, of which only Mitganahalli, which is spread over four hectares, is operational. Currently, 2,750 tonnes of waste are dumped at the site every day. It already has approximately seven million tonnes of legacy waste. However, this is in violation of the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) directive to eliminate all landfills, in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
BBMP spends an average of Rs 500 crore a year for the collection and transportation of waste.
BBMP officials said they had formed a separate company, Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML), in 2021 to streamline the city’s solid waste management system.
CP Appanna, state secretary of the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), which represents BBMP pourakarmikas (civic workers), has pointed out that while workers who sweep the streets receive direct payment from the BBMP, others, such as drivers, helpers, loaders, and cleaners, are employed under a contract system, which leads to delays in their wage payments and the absence of incentives or benefits.
He added that many pourakarmikas have died due to health issues or accidents, but the BBMP has not provided any compensation.
6/6 We urge the Chief Minister to take immediate steps to ensure all pourakarmikas are made permanent and they are ensured dignified working conditions. In event of failure, our Unionwill continue its struggle to ensure the same.— AICCTU Karnataka (@aicctukar) February 28, 2023
Additionally, there is no proper segregation of waste. “The mixing of waste can indeed pose health risks to pourakarmikas and other workers involved in waste management. It is important to ensure that waste is properly segregated at the source to prevent such risks. It is the responsibility of the BBMP to ensure that the workers are provided with proper protective gear and are adequately compensated for their work,” said Appanna.
BBMP to set up ‘garbage collection kiosks’ for late risers
BBMP officials have stated that the BSWML, on behalf of the BBMP, has recently floated a tender for the collection and transportation of waste for the entire city.
Dr Harish Kumar, special commissioner for solid waste management in the BBMP, told Moneycontrol that the technical evaluation has been completed, and financial bids will be opened after the elections. “Our plan is to set up more biogas plants at the ward level to reduce the amount of waste going into the landfills,” he said.
Regarding black spots, Kumar claimed that 100 percent door-to-door collection is currently taking place, so there are no garbage bins in the city except in commercial areas.
“Waste is collected from doorsteps between 6 am and 10 am, but some residents, particularly techies, wake up after 10 am due to night shifts. We are now planning to set up 75 garbage kiosks, so residents can drop off segregated waste at these kiosks, which will be located 3-4 km away from the residences to discourage people from dropping waste while going to their workplaces. A tender has already been floated for this purpose, and those who do not segregate and hand over waste to the workers or drop-in to kiosks will be severely penalised,” said Kumar.
The BBMP fears that if the kiosks are kept in all residential areas, more people will drop garbage in them instead of segregating it at their households for doorstep collection.
Odour control system for composting plants
BBMP records show that there are eight biodegradable waste processing plants with a capacity to process 1,570 tons of biodegradable waste. However, many of these plants are not functional.
“All biodegradable waste is transported to processing sites in compactors. The waste is subjected to windrow composting,” said a BBMP official.
Residents in places such as Chikkanagamangala, near Anekal, have been opposing the waste processing plant in their locality due to the foul smell.
*PROTEST FROM RESIDENTS AGAINST MSW PROCESSING PLANT*Residents of Chikkanagamangala, Doddanagamangala and other villages in 3-4 kms radius of MSW Processing Plant are protesting against irreversible pollution caused by this plant.@Srinivas_IFS @BBMPCOMM @BBMPSWMSplComm pic.twitter.com/ZsYDYmtt1f
— Electronic City Rising (@ECityRising) August 17, 2022
However, the BBMP claims that it has an odour control system for composting plants. “The process of composting involves the emission of gases such as ammonia, carbon dioxide, methane, oxides of nitrogen, siloxanes, bioaerosols, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds that pose a threat to the staff working in the compost plant as well as to the local environment,” said a BBMP official.
“To counter the odour, Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation, along with National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, had developed an odour control system based on gas-biofiltration technology. This technology uses microbes as odour-removal agents. When passed through the bio-filter, the compounds causing odour are absorbed by microbes, which degrade into nitrogen oxide, nitrates, sulphates, and sulphuric acid, which are later neutralised by limestone.”
Karnataka Polls: Eye on Bengaluru
B.PAC report on waste management
On March 27, the Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC), an NGO, released a comparative manifesto analysis report for 2018-2023 and a citizen manifesto for 2023. The report has also highlighted the inadequacies in the management of solid waste in the city.
Revathy Ashok, CEO and managing trustee of B.PAC, stated that poor waste management is a health hazard for citizens and called for a vision for responsible waste management for Bengaluru, with strict enforcement.
She pointed out that construction and debris waste is the largest contributor to air pollution in the city. The NGO also called for leaf waste processing plants to be set up at the ward level to prevent the burning of waste.
According to B.PAC, Bengaluru generates around 92,000 tonnes of e-waste per year, and the civic body should set up collection points for e-waste. B.PAC also recommended strict enforcement to ensure all medical/sanitary waste is processed by designated vendors.
Ashok called for visual cleanliness to be a high priority and suggested heavily fining littering in public spaces, streets, footpaths, and vacant sites, as well as strict enforcement of plastic bans.
She said that the BBMP should come up with an app so citizens can provide building debris and e-waste. “Night patrolling should be carried out to prevent waste being dumped at street corners, particularly near the Ejipura flyover and other such areas, where heaps of garbage are causing an eyesore,".
BBMP banks on tech
BBMP officials have stated that they rely on several technology-based solutions to manage the city’s waste effectively. This includes an RFID-based attendance system for sanitation workers, as well as Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) solutions to gather real-time data on waste management operations. They also use the Ezetap app to impose penalties on violators. These technology-based solutions are aimed at improving the efficiency of waste management and ensuring that the city remains clean and hygienic.
Note to readers: This article concludes the series on Bengaluru, ahead of the Karnataka polls on May 10.
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