For the first time ever dry and the wet waste generated in Bangalore city will have be transported to different landfills instead of dumping them together.
After the State government told the High Court it had identified a new landfill, the court directed the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to transport only dry waste to the Mandur landfill. The wet waste will go to the temporary landfill at Survey No.31 of Chikknagamangala village, Sarjapur hobli on the city’s outskirts, the court said.
As this new landfill is 94.35 acres, the court said it would be able to receive wet waste for a considerable length of time, relieving immediate pressure on land.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice B.V. Nagarathna issued the directions during the hearing of the public interest litigation (PIL) petitions complaining about city’s garbage problem.
Green panel’s advice
The Bench also recorded the statement of counsel for existing garbage collection contractors that they would transport both kinds of waste separately to these two destinations. The court direction followed the suggestion of Environment Impact Assessment Authority’s counsel Raveendra G. Kolle.
Reiterating that landfills are not a permanent solution, the Bench said these two sites are temporary measure till the BBMP establishes sufficient number of waste processing units across the city.
The Bench recorded BBMP’s statement that as a first step, segregation and wet waste processing units would be set up in all 28 Assembly constituencies within two months. It directed the civic authority to have such processing units in each ward. “Ideally every ward should have three units for dry and wet waste processing, and this exercise should be completed within four months,” the Bench said, even as it asked the State government to come up with seven more sites for receiving wastes within a fortnight.
Buffer zones
As the Court was told that the government has decided to restore the 1 km buffer zone around the Mandur landfill, the Bench said all landfills should have such a buffer.
Earlier, Advocate-General S. Vijay Shankar told the Bench, which had warned of contempt proceedings against top officials, that the government had taken all steps to comply with the court’s orders.
Meanwhile, taking note of the Karnataka State Compost Development Corporation’s preparedness to process 75 to 100 tonnes of waste every day if certain facilities are provided to it, the Bench asked the BBMP to accord it the priority it deserves.
