Abandoned quarries may end garbage crisis

The Bengaluru Urban district administration has identified 79 abandoned quarries, covering an area of 184 acres on the outskirts of the City, to serve as landfills for the piling City garbage which has no takers.

Once filled up, these pits which often lead to accidents, may be used to house scientific garbage processing units, parks, playgrounds, bus stand or any other public utility, said a detailed report submitted to the State government by the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Bengaluru Urban District V Shankar.

“There are 450 acres of government land in Bengaluru East Taluk, Bengaluru South, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru North Additional and Anekal Taluk, of which 184 acres have dangerous abandoned quarries, which invite accidents.

These pits can hold at least 24 lakh metric tonnes of garbage and debris, which will take five years to fill,” the report said.

The DC has recommended covering the quarry pits with concrete to prevent leachate from  seeping into the soil and polluting groundwater.

The report also suggested topping every ten feet of garbage with a layer of soil and debris mixed with composting solvent to fight the foul smell and speed up decomposition of the waste into rich manure.

Shankar suggested improving the infrastructure of residential areas around the pits by once the pits get filled up, using the land for public utilities such as park, playground, bus stand and stadium.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Shankar said most of these quarries are 45 ft to 60 ft deep and get filled with water during rainy season, posing an open invitation to accidents in the past. The State government had suggested fencing them or building surrounding walls, but that may not be a permanent solution as the fencing material could be stolen.

Shankar said, “Protecting them is a difficult task. Besides fencing, these abandoned quarries must be guarded to prevent trespass and accidents. It is better to fill them and use the land productively.”