Garbage burning is a never-ending problem in Kasavanahalli

By Anuksha Dey

The roads are finally being repaired and drains are being cleaned in some parts of Bellandur. However, just months before the civic polls, a video of large scale garbage burning in Kasavanahalli has gone viral on Twitter. The video shows smoke from a pile of trash being burnt behind Bren Imperia, near Bellandur. BBMP’s Solid Waste Management Cell has responded to the video saying, “Kasavanahalli seems infamous for such burning. Adequate infrastructure in terms of vehicles have been given to Bellandur ward. Better enforcement is required from the local solid waste management team.”

Garbage disposal is a pressing issue in Bellandur

With one of Bangalore’s highest population at 80180, garbage disposal has become a pressing issue in Bellandur and Kasavanahalli. The garbage on the streets attracts rodents, snakes and pigs to the area. This is a major concern for the residents as pigs are known to be carriers of various diseases, including the H1N1 Swine Flu virus. 

Burning of Waste

The magnitude of the problem and the amount of trash produced by the Bellandur ward every day based on its population implies that its transportation to proper waste management plants would cost the BBMP a large amount of money.

Environmental activist Jagdish Reddy believes that certain contractors simply set the garbage on fire instead of transporting it to the Dry Waste Collection Center (DWCC). This saves logistical costs and time for the contractors and waste management plants.

Health Issues caused by Solid Waste Burning

The smoke emitted by burning waste contains toxins, such as nitrous oxides and sulfur dioxides. According to the Centres for Disease Control in the US, breathing in nitrous oxides can cause dizziness and unconsciousness and may be fatal in extreme cases. While breathing in Sulfur Dioxide can cause irritation of eye, nose, throat and lungs. Dioxins which are realised when plastic is burnt is a potent carcinogenic and may result in various health problems for pregnant women, children and the elderly.

Restrictions Against Burning Garbage

The National Green Tribunal (NTG) and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board have banned open waste burning and have said that public bodies involved in solid waste management may be charged with a fine of upto Rs 25,000 for every instance of waste burning.

However, action can only be taken when a BBMP contractor is caught on video while setting the garbage on fire. Since much of this happens under the cover of darkness, the crime often goes unpunished.

Involvement of garbage mafia

Resident activist Ashok Mruthyunjaya believes that the garbage mafia is responsible for the burning. “For the last four years, I have been involved in compiling a list of complaints on behalf of the residents in my ward,” he says. “Garbage burning is always an issue that comes up. It is the mafia, inefficient BBMP officials and corruption that is the cause of this issue.” The problem lies in the vague contracts of the BBMP that do not specify where and how to pick up the segregated waste, besides not paying the vendors on time. “The contractors often skip large apartments as they have no liability to pick up the garbage from homes. Apartments hire local low-cost garbage collectors who are not BBMP contractors. These garage collectors have no place to deposit the garbage, so they burn it. This is extremely hard to check as many influential people, including goons, are involved in the garbage nexus.”

Solution

The BBMP has proposed building five waste-to-energy conversion plants in Bangalore to tackle the problem of waste disposal. However, this project too has come under the scrutiny of environmentalists who believe that these energy plants will result in even more air pollution as the garbage has to be incinerated to create energy.