Garbage dumping goes unchecked in Vrishabhavathi

The state government may be making big plans  about rejuvenating the Vrishabhavathi Valley, but it has utterly failed to stop such a basic thing as dumping of garbage in what was once a river.  

Every day, auto-rickshaws and trucks are seen unloading garbage in the valley  near the Sumanahalli flyover on West Bengaluru's  Magadi Road. Nearly a  kilometre-long stretch along the valley is littered with garbage, raising an unbearable stench.  The mounds of garbage are often set on fire, polluting the air.  

The situation has worsened after the winter set in. Garbage, especially plastic, flies around, sticking to helmets, cars, bags and clothes. Road users and local residents agree that the dumping of garbage and the resultant stench have increased manifold in the past month.  

Interestingly, the mounds of  garbage are a stone's throw  from the recently  launched Indira Canteen in Kottigepalya, ward number 73. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials, however, appear to have turned a blind eye to the garbage menace.  

Those dumping garbage have even broken open a part of the valley's fence and converted it into a dumping yard. A contractor throwing garbage  on the fenced side said he was just doing his job as there was no other place to  throw the waste.  An auto-rickshaw driver said it was his daily job to bring garbage from nearby residential areas and dump it here.

Under Section 33 of the  Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, it's an offence  to pollute waterbodies.  The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) conducted drives in the past and seized vehicles that were dumping  garbage and construction debris in lakes and in the valley. No action was, however, taken on this side of the valley.

Sarfaraz Khan, Joint Commissioner, Health and Solid Waste Management, BBMP, said no vehicle had been authorised to dump garbage in the valley.  He insisted that there was no shortage of space in dumping yards and that no permission had been given to dump waste in the valley.  

BOX

Roadworks delay turns space into dumping yard

Garbage contractors and municipal workers are making the most of the vacant space set aside for widening Magadi Road near  the Sumanahalli flyover. The space was created after demolishing the boundary wall of  Beggars' Colony. The roadworks, however, haven't started. As a result, while commuters  keep complaining about traffic congestion, the vacant space is being used for garbage dumping.  In the past 30 days, auto-rickshaws  and garbage trucks, belonging to the BBMP, have been  queuing up at the place  and unloading trash.