There seems to be a pattern of unexplained deaths in Mavallipura near Yelahanka. People thought to be healthy develop the strangest of diseases, kidney failure being among them, and die. Almost everyone here suffers from gastro-intestinal and skin disorders as all water sources whether they be wells, borewells or tanks are polluted. While several suffer from chronic ailments, the worst affected are women and small children.
The callousness of the BBMP and the management of Ramky in disposing of the municipal solid waste (MSW) generated by the city in an unscientific manner at Mavallipura appears to be playing havoc with the health of its people and slowly turning its once fertile land where vegetables were grown for supply to Bengaluru, barren.
The people blame the increasing number of diseases invading their village on the unhygienic conditions they are forced to live in on account of the garbage dumped in their midst. "In the last fortnight alone four people have died and unless the BBMP and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) comes to the rescue of Mavallipura, more will die," warns Mr M. Ramesh, a resident and a member of the local gram panchayat.
As the authorities pay little attention to Municipal Solid Waste Rules, the lichet (poisonous liquid let out by municipal waste) reaches lakes and fertile land in rain and contaminates the groundwater table. The BBMP which took water samples for testing found it was unfit for human consumption, but is doing nothing about it, the people complain. What is scaring them is the death of healthy individuals like Narayanappa, a 55 year old farmer who died last month and of 38 year old Muniraj, a shepherd, who died of renal failure recently.
Narayanappa’s land abutting Ramky's landfill facility, was heavily contaminated due to periodic release of untreated lichet, they claim. "But none of his protests moved either the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) or BBMP to take action. And then one day, Narayanappa who was extremely active, cycling everywhere he went, suffered a serious asthmatic attack and died," they say. "Muniraj too had no history of diabetes or any other ailment, but he regularly took his sheep to graze on the gomala land abutting the landfill, recalls Mr Ramesh.