Mavallipura residents' rebellion leaves BBMP in a quandary

With the closure of Mavallipura landfill, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has been barely ‘managing’ the disposal of solid waste generated every day. 

The garbage in most places is being cleared every alternative day.

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board has ordered the Palike to close down the Mavallipura landfill for violation of solid waste management rules. The civic agency is now diverting the garbage to its other major dumping yard in Mandur, between KR Puram and Hoskote.

As per the last known figures, the Mavallipura unit would take close to 700 tonnes of garbage every day. The Mandur landfill has become a cause of worry for the Palike. Sources in the Palike claimed that garbage clearing has suffered by five to ten per cent with it being able to dispose of 1,500 tonne of garbage a day.

“We are forced to manage the show by lifting garbage every alternative day in most localities on account of the limited capacity,” an official said.

Officials believe that there is a lot of ‘orchestrated’ opposition building up in Mandur. “If every village starts to raise alarm bells, it is going to be a difficult proposition for us to dispose of the garbage generated in the City,” said the official.

With the closing of the Ramky-run dumping yard, the other private player, Terra Firma in Doddaballapur, is under a lot of pressure to dispose of the waste scientifically.

The BBMP is now trying to save Terra Firma by pushing forward its idea of setting up a  power plant and disposing the waste. The proposal has been approved and is awaiting a few regulatory sanctions from the government to set up the power plant, the official said.

The BBMP is also hoping that citizens will start segregating the waste at source. The Palike has also included the segregation units, to be set up in each ward, as part of its report submitted to the High Court of Karnataka on the alternative measures to dispose the garbage in the City.