JOIN USConstruction waste heaped across the City continues to be a headache for
Bangaloreans. Rocks, bricks, sand, tiles, heaps of dust and concrete blocks are frequently dumped in public spaces, not only leading to the obstruction and diversion of traffic but also becoming an obstacle for pedestrians, especially while crossing the road.
While construction sites in lanes and internal roads are the worst affected, main roads are not spared either. Residents of Mysore Road, Banashankari, Sarjapur
Road and several other areas complain that they have faced this problem in the past.
“The first part of tackling the problem is identifying the source because this waste could be from the Metro construction, leftover debris from road-digging activities or simply from residential construction sites. Earlier, it used to be mainly the outskirts that faced the problem because of the intensive construction taking place. Now, you can find it even in the middle of the City,” points out Chethana, a resident of Yelahanka.
Gayathri Somashekar, a homemaker, adds, “The main issue with the roads in Bangalore’s residential areas is the parking menace. Add to that the heaps of debris and construction material left lying around and there’s barely any space for vehicles and people to move around. The sand and pebbles dirty the entire road during the monsoons, making them slippery. Safety is a major concern.”
The ongoing Metro work is only adding to the citizen woes. Another problem that could arise is when people start using areas where construction waste is thrown as general dumping grounds.
Hariharan Mahadevan, who lives in Malleswaram, identifies with this problem. “I live in an area where no matter which direction you turn in, there’s always some sort of new structure coming up. This wouldn’t have been such a bad thing were it not for the waste thrown on the roads, ranging from iron rods to broken bricks. This leads to further cramping of the already congested roads,” he shares, adding, “to make matters worse, the public sees places like this as open invitations to throw their share of garbage too. All of this has made driving in these areas incredibly aggravating and next to impossible.”
Authorities say that they are doing what they can to clear the mess.
“The waste generated by the Metro construction is disposed of by the authorities concerned. On the other hand, any residential or commercial construction waste is removed by the local ward engineers. Post collection, the solid waste management is done on a zonal basis,” informs Rangaraju, engineer-in-chief, Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).