The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) began the onerous task of clearing the weeklong backlog of garbage on Wednesday. With the Mandur landfill temporarily opening up for dumping of waste, the BBMP has started transporting waste from the city to the dumping yard, which was blocked by the local people for nearly a week.
The city is grappling with a garbage crisis that has only worsened since the long festival season began. A BBMP release claimed that 3,500 tonnes of garbage had been collected on Wednesday, the day of Vijayadashami.
Mayor D. Venkatesh Murthy is said to have expressed the need to increase labour and equipment (such as trucks), which will be discussed soon, the palike release said.
Immersions
It is not just the city’s streets that are taking a beating; the lakes are also bearing the brunt of the celebrations. The immersion of Durga idols have begun in various parts of the city. However, a BBMP official said Ulsoor lake was likely to be the most affected as several Bengali associations were based in east Bangalore.
Bakrid
This is not the end of the BBMP’s festival pollution worries. It is also gearing up for the waste generated during Bakrid, which will be celebrated on Saturday. To prevent the indiscriminate disposal of animal waste, the palike has already sent out a circular to all its zonal offices instructing officials on handling bio-waste.
The measures include ensuring that the waste is packed in plastic bags and disposed of in specific containers that will be provided where sacrifices are made. Officials also said a “special landfill” will be identified where animal waste will be buried in deep pits.
