Bengaluru: Golf enthusiasts may be able to tee off on a brand new golf course... on what used to be a garbage dump-yard. Nearly two years after it stopped dumping 1,800 tonnes of waste per day from Bengaluru in the Mandur landfill, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) plans to turn it into a golf course.
Though the initial plan was to carry out bioremediation in the landfill, it received no response despite calling for tenders five times. This pushed the civic body to explore other possibilities. Bioremediation is a waste management technique that uses micro-organisms to treat waste or pollutants by breaking down undesirable substances.
If the entire 135 acres of the landfill were to be developed into a golf course, it would cost no less than Rs. 300 crore, which is why the BBMP is looking at a public private partnership (PPP) model. A Chennai-based company is learnt to have expressed interest in the project. There are plenty of examples of landfills being transformed into golf courses abroad.
However, being fully aware of the need to have the local community in Mandur on board — they were promised a park in the last deal offered by the government, Sarfaraz Khan, Joint Commissioner, Solid Waste Management, BBMP said the entire 135 acres may not be turned into a golf course.
“We want to look at a win-win situation for everybody. A golf course will cater to one section of people. We want to generate revenue for the BBMP, offer recreation and also benefit the local people,” he said.
The first challenge that the transformation is likely to encounter is the ‘unscientific engineering’ the Mandur landfill has been known for. As Jaya Dhindaw, Strategy head, Cities, World Resources Institute, said, “The idea is doable from a technical standpoint. Normally, landfills are typically converted into other uses — residential, industrial or commercial complexes, but only if they are engineered landfills. In Mandur, that has not been followed.”
Mr. Khan said the project would entail removal of all toxicities from the landfill before embarking on any new project.
BOX 1
Freedom from waste
In the midst of a debate about what should be done with 135 acres of prime land in Mandur, the local community is only looking for freedom from having to put up with Bengaluru’s waste.
“We were told that a park will come up here. We had also suggested that some land can be converted into plots and given to the poor locals here. But we are fine even with a golf course if that ensures that no waste will ever be dumped here again,” said Gopal Rao M.C., member, Mandur panchayat.
But he said that the Mandur landfill had been all but forgotten in the two years since waste stopped coming in. “Let them clear the garbage lying here first. They had promised water supply through tankers, but even that stopped within four months. If something is not done soon, people will suffer like the endosulfan victims (of Dakshin Kannada district) or those in the Bhopal gas leak tragedy,” he added.
BOX 2
Tree park in quarry
Another project on the anvil is conversion of two acres of the quarry in Bagalur into a tree park. A team of experts is said to have briefed the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Thursday about how to go about the plan, which involves an experiment of planting of fruit-bearing, flower-bearing and shade-giving trees.
Mandur landfill
Area: 135 acres
Garbage dumping began in 2008
Waste generated in the city every day: 4,000 tonnes
Waste being sent to Mandur: 1,800 tonnes
Dumping was stopped on December 1, 2014
