Junk jolts: Bengaluru’s clunky garbage trucks stir safety, eco concerns

Residents decry stench from daily dumped waste piles

The mammoth garbage trucks trundling down the streets in our neighbourhoods transform into deadly safety hazards, even before they hit the roads that lead to landfill sites. But this is only one of the many issues plaguing the city’s garbage collection and disposal system.

Old, poorly-maintained vehicles spill waste onto the roads, stinking up entire neighbourhoods, contributing to disease spread, and posing safety risks due to driver behaviour. Garbage trucks have been named culprits in various issues in the city.

Bengaluru generates about 5,000-6,000 tonnes of waste daily. Most of this waste ends up in landfill sites dotting the suburbs without proper processing. The majority of the fleet that collects and transports this garbage is many years old, making it less efficient and more prone to developing physical damages that lead to leachate leaks.

Residents’ despair

Residents’ despair is palpable. Habiba Subhan, organising secretary of the Fraser Town Resident Welfare Association, highlighted the pathetic condition of Nethaji Road, where over 300 residents struggle due to problems arising from an open waste-segregating place on one side of the road. “Fraser Town was bad before; it has become worse now. There has been no action from the BBMP nodal officer, health officer, or the MLA; nobody cares.”

Residents spoke to DH about the stench from the steaming pile of waste dumped and segregated every morning at the point and the leaking residue from the wet waste that flows down the road, stinking up the area. After waste is segregated and piled into the two compactors that arrive every morning, the auto tippers line up on one side of the road, inconveniencing residents by hindering movement. This has also caused health issues.

“My son suffered from dengue in July due to the putrid water becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes in the area. It is unbearable to live here,” said Abdul Matheen, a long-time resident of the area.

A BBMP plan to procure new garbage collection vehicles has been pending for years due to a court case. Under the plan, the civic body wants to replace the existing fleet and procure 550 new six-wheel compactors with a 14 cubic metre capacity and 500 5-tonne six-wheelers to collect waste from small enterprises and construction sites. Plus, there’s also a proposal to procure 6,000 four-wheeler tippers of 1-2 tonne capacity each to replace the existing three-wheel tippers that collect garbage from households, according to S N Balasubramaniam, general secretary of the BBMP Garbage Contractors’ Association.

The High Court of Karnataka is likely to hear petitions over the garbage vehicles on January 9 or 10, according to BBMP Special Commissioner for Solid Waste Management Harish Kumar.

Based on the outcome of the hearing, the BBMP may replace the existing fleet of over 6,000 garbage vehicles.

“We have also included a proposal to make 50% of the fleet completely electric or CNG-run and run five electric auto tippers per ward. We also want each vehicle to have three compartments – one each for dry, wet, and sanitary waste,” Balasubramaniam said.

However, even if these changes are brought into effect, they would barely address the multitude of issues the trucks cause.

Road safety hazards

Special drives conducted by the traffic police over the years, and at multiple points throughout each year, revealed that the garbage truck drivers generally engaged in rash driving behaviour, said Kuldeep Kumar Jain, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic East).

“Some drivers resorted to drinking on the job and driving rashly. We found at least two or three such drivers on every drive we conducted. Many times, they didn’t maintain the required documents such as the insurance or registration certificates. We would impound such vehicles and send notices until the fines were paid,” he said.

Harish Kumar assured that BBMP officials have begun conducting surprise checks for alcohol levels among drivers, particularly those who drive compactors. “We haven’t found any such cases so far,” he said.

Workers’ woes

On the workers’ front, Maitreyi Krishnan, Karnataka State Committee Member, All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), explains the rampant corruption in the system run by “contractor lobbies”.

"The BBMP pays the contractors between Rs 45-50 crore each month just for the collection and transportation of garbage. Yet, garbage collectors, who are employed on a contract basis across wards, haven’t been paid their wages in 2-5 months and are not provided any safety equipment such as masks and gloves,” she said.

Pourakarmikas employed as sweepers are paid minimum wages but do not have job security. This has led both groups to demand regular payments and permanent employment, she added. “Mainly, the demand has been to remove the exploitative contractors who work as a mafia and don't ensure safety or fair wages to the workers.”

Regarding the direct payment and permanent employment, Harish Kumar did not comment, calling it a government decision.