The Garden City, which could more appropriately be called ‘garbage city’ in the past few days, is getting back to its normal, better-smelling self.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has managed to collect 10,000 tonnes of garbage that was piled up all over Bengaluru in just 24 hours in a massive clean-up drive which will continue on Monday.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, BBMP Commissioner M.K. Shankarlinge Gowda said: “The drive is going on and so far we have managed to clear nearly 10,000 tonnes of residue since Saturday. The daily generation of garbage in Bengaluru is close to 4,000 tonnes."

"We have been collecting 2,000 tonnes every day. The remaining garbage piles that were not disposed of since past five or six days have to be cleared. We have started the drive and we hope to make the city a clean haven once again.”

10,000 tonnes less of the stink

As garbage accumulated, Bengaluru became a breeding ground for diseases and attracted hordes of stray animals.

The situation went out of control last week and an epidemic was anticipated with garbage piles growing by the day. The heavy rains that lashed the city last week made things worse.

It took a directive from the Governor of the State and the chief secretary, on Friday, to get BBMP moving and begin cleaning up.

The forced shut down of major landfills on the city’s outskirts has made Bengaluru unliveable and things could get worse for the city in the coming days. However, the BBMP chief says that garbage will be treated in a 'scientific manner' at the landfills and this should end the opposition to them.

“There will be no resistance posed by villagers because of whom garbage could not be dumped at the landfills since the past few days. It’s a serious issue and we will treat garbage in a scientific manner so that it does not prove to be a health hazard for villagers,” said Gowda.

BBMP discouraged companies

Civic rights activists in the city have claimed that the BBMP in the past discouraged companies that came forward to collect and dispose of garbage. Several companies were ready to locally produce electricity using garbage and plastic, but the BBMP did not entertain them.

One company on Magadi Road, which used to take 30 truckloads of municipal waste, has now turned to industrial waste to meet its production needs. The company prepares liquid fuel by burning the waste and later the same is converted into electricity.

“Since the company is situated on the outskirts, the BBMP is not interested in sending the garbage. Moreover, there is communication gap between the companies which can process garbage and the truckers who clear the garbage. The tendering process for garbage disposal also is not transparent and BBMP lacks vision in distributing the garbage to companies who can process it. The BBMP must stop thinking about money when it comes to clearing the garbage,” said an activist.

He cited the example of Pune, where the municipality with the help of the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineering, Hyderabad, has set up an energy producing plant where waste from restaurants is used. “The facility has been created in 18 wards of Pune and it is working successfully”, the activist added.

Burning waste poses serious health hazard

The 10,000 tonnes of garbage that piled up across the city over the past couple of days have been cleared but the burning of garbage at collection sites has added to yet another environmental hazard, polluting the environment with various toxic gases.

The city is already reeling under dangerous smog and high incidence of particulate matter. The burning of garbage adds dioxins, further increasing the pollution level.

Says noted environmentalist Dr Yellapa Reddy, “While the solid waste are being burnt, the un-burnt particles left behind emit hydrocarbons and nitrous oxide. These, when exposed to bright sunlight, generate secondary pollutants that are highly poisonous.”

Poisonous gases can have a direct effect on one’s heart, can cause headache, eye irritation, and affect the embryo, besides affecting some fruiting plants. Reddy said we are yet to get automatic sensors that automatically raise an alarm if the level of pollutant gases in the environment goes up beyond permissible limits.

“It is essential that the municipal corporation and the Pollution Control Board should act accordingly and come out with immediate solutions,” he said.

A.S. Sadashiviah, chairman of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, agrees that 'solid wastes and burning of plastic emits toxic gases like dioxins that will not only hamper the environment but also has a very bad impact on the health of people. It leads to various forms of cancer and other respiratory diseases'.