When the garbage crisis reared its head in September last, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) drew up some ambitious plans, which remain on paper many months later.
According to BBMP officials, around 23 lakh tonnes of waste has been accumulated in the BBMP’s landfills at Mavallipura, Mandur, Terra Firma, Bingipura and S. Lakshmipura. Though dumping has been stopped at Mavallipura, little has been done to clear the accumulated waste.
Of the many proposals received by the BBMP to clear the accumulated waste, a committee chose eight projects, which are pending with the government. “If these projects are implemented, around 4,000 tonnes of waste can be processed every day,” an official said.
The pending projects include waste to energy, waste to compost and waste to bio-diesel proposals. These bio-mining proposals will help reduce the environmental impact caused by the accumulated waste and leachate that have polluted even the ground water in the localities surrounding the landfills.
N.S. Ramakanth, member of the expert committee constituted by the BBMP for effective solid waste management, said the projects were almost approved by the previous government but the election code of conduct came in the way. “After the new government took over, it is almost like we are back to square one. The Urban Development Department now wants to check the feasibility of these proposals,” he said.
The other proposal to set up localised processing units is also going slow. Of the 16 bio-methanisation plants proposed across the city, only one at Kuvempunagar has been commissioned.
“The expert committee has time and again been reminding the BBMP Commissioner to impress upon the government to approve the projects. Once the projects are commissioned, the city’s garbage problem will be solved to a large extent,” he claimed.
