Debris piles misery on Bengaluru

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste is the largest contributor of pollution in Bengaluru, bigger than the municipal solid waste (MSW). The city is the fourth largest C&D waste generator in the country, producing 3,600 tonnes a day, with Mumbai in top with 9,000 tonnes.

C& waste, including inert material like drain silt, dust and gravel from road sweeping, accounts for a third of the total solid waste generated in the country. Rapid urbanisation, thrust on infrastructure projects and boom in realty sector have contributed significantly for the increase in C&D waste.

Experts opine that C&D waste is the major cause of erosion of water bodies and increasing health hazards related to allergy.

According to an estimate by the Centre for Science and Environment, the country generated 50 million tonnes of C&D waste in 2013. The study further pointed out that the nearly 287 million tonnes of waste was let into the rivers across the country is causing unquantifiable damage to riparian ecosystems.

Bengaluru is no exception to this national phenomena. The Justice NK Patil committee set up by the Karnataka High Court on preservation of lakes and water bodies in the city observed: "Lake areas have become dumping grounds for solid waste debris, construction waste etc. Most of the lakes are open areas without fencing and watch and ward.''

Prof BV Venkatarama Reddy, chairman Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) along with Hemanth Kumar of Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST) did a survey of C&D waste generation in BBMP limits and found that "C&D waste is conveniently dumped in several places across BBMP region.'' In 2012, they estimated that a million tons of C&D waste is generated every year in the city, that is 2,739.32 tonnes a day.

The BBMP framed rules for C&D waste in 2014 following a direction from the High Court, but it was never implemented seriously. The debris and inert continue to be strewn all over the city. Some BBMP contractors engaged in pothole filling, dump the rubble in craters on roads leading to accidents, particularly of two wheeler riders.

The service providers like the BWSSB, BBMP, Metro, Bescom and government infrastructure agencies are the biggest contributors to the C&D waste besides the big builders. The agencies are supposed to clear the waste every day and water the muddy area to prevent dust but hardly any agency does. Similarly, big builders who must manage their C&D waste by recycling and reusing at the construction site, outsource contractors who dump indiscriminately on footpaths, on the highway sides and in nearby water bodies, forests and villages.

Even buildings on smaller housing sites and small buildings are a cause of concern as they are not concerned about clearing the waste and leave it the road. The rules say that one needs to show their C&D waste disposal plan before remodeling, rebuilding or demolishing a building. But there is no proper monitoring system in place.

Leo Saldanha, full time coordinator of Environment Support Group (ESG) which filed a public interest litigation (PIL) on protection of lakes in the city says, "Substantial part of the water bodies were lost to indiscriminate dumping of C&D waste as there were no rules prior to 2014.''

He alleges that the recent Chennai floods and the Mumbai floods in 2005 were a result of dumping of C&D waste in storm water drains and water bodies. "If we don't check this now, Bengaluru to will be flooded soon,'' he warns.

Saldanha alleges that the enforcing agencies are not worried about the environmental degradation and loss of water bodies as long as their needs are looked after by builders.

BBMP, the enforcing authority in Bengaluru, doesn't appear to be as concerned about C&D waste as it is about garbage. "The crying baby gets attention,'' a senior official in the BBMP says, referring to "stinking garbage'' getting priority over the C&D waste.

"We are streamlining the collection of C&D waste. Seven dumping sites have been identified and authorised for disposal of C&D waste,'' Subodh Yadav, BBMP Special Commissioner said. The civic body is also in the process of setting up of three C&D waste processing units on public private partnership (PPP).

Yadav said that the BBMP will adopt the rules once the draft guidelines on C&D waste prepared by Union government are finalised.

He says that the monitoring on a day-to-day basis is impossible considering the available manpower and the vast area involved. "We have appealed to citizens and neighbourhood associations to bring any such violations to our notice on ,'' Yadav said, referring to a few incidents of penalising some builders and individuals.

Zero recyclingProf Reddy says that C&D wastes do not pose much environmental problems, if consumed by the construction industry. "C&D wastes are devoid of plastics and organic wastes, and hence it is easy to handle such wastes,'' he says.

In fact, several developed countries adopted the 3R policy – reduce, reuse and recycle -while ensuring that very little goes to the landfill.