<p>Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of News Item titled "Bengaluru stadium to get treated water supply for IPL matches amid crisis" appearing in India Today dated 21.03.2024.</p>
Residents supply manure prepared from garbage to the Palike's gardens Residents of RMV Extension in the City have shown the way in managing household garbage. The Scientific Handing of Waste Society (Shows), set up by the residents of 400 houses in the locality in 1995, has inked a pact with the Palike on segregation and management of garbage generated in the area.
Resolution to be forwarded to the govt for approval The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike Council on Friday passed a resolution to ban plastic bags in the wake of garbage pile-up in the City. The resolution will be forwarded to the State government later. The efficacy of the resolution is doubtful when the BBMP could not enforce its order to ban polythene bags below 40 microns. Despite the ban, plastic bags below 40 microns are used across the City and Palike officials have failed stop their production, sale and use.
The garbage crisis in the City showed no signs of waning on Wednesday, as Mayor D Venkatesh Murthy agreed to stop completely garbage dumping in the Mavallipura landfill. Following the blockade by residents of 18 villages surrounding the landfill, and yielding to pressure from the Yelahanka MLA S R Vishwanath, the BBMP had to relent and announced the virtual shutdown following a proposal passed by the Palike Council.
The failure to implement the 74th Amendment to the Constitution, enacted in 1992, is directly responsible for the garbage mess in the city. That’s the opinion of an expert on civic issues. The 74th Amendment sought to strengthen the urban local bodies. But, “the centralisation of powers in the state has continued and has finally resulted in the garbage mess that is afflicting the city today,” said Leo Saldanha, co-ordinator of Environment Support Group (ESG), an NGO that deals with a variety of environmental and social justice initiatives.
Bangalore, the nation’s information technology capital, has entered the second harrowing week of being in threat of drowning in its own garbage because the landfills serving it cannot be used. In the process, the city’s municipal commissioner is being transferred. The city’s experience offers a lesson to all major urban centres in the country, which will come to grief if they do not follow the right policies. On the other hand, those that have done so like Kanpur and Pune have become role models.
Warning of serious action if the administration remained lackadaisical in resolving the city’s garbage disposal problem, the Karnataka High Court on Monday directed the State government and the Bruhat Bangalore Mahangara Palike (BBMP) to file a report in three days on the situation. The court, in its order, also said it disagrees with the statements of certain “public figures” who have said that residents of villages close to garbage landfills should be tolerant.
The garbage crisis, which the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) claimed to have mitigated in the last 24 hours, is likely to worsen with residents of Mandur deciding on a blockade on Monday. Agitated by the amount of garbage being dumped at the landfill off Bangalore-Hoskote Road near Begur Cross, residents of the Mandur Gram Panchayat have decided to block the entry of all the BBMP trucks to the dumping yard.
The City’s failure to adhere to the norm on garbage segregation at source may soon force the State government and BBMP to make it mandatory. The Palike is keen on such a step and is in the process of verifying whether the Supreme Court’s recent remark on the subject is an observation or a directive. “It is learnt that the Supreme Court has spoken on the matter recently. Whether segregation at source is an observation or a directive is to be verified,” said Palike Commissioner Shankarlinge Gowda.
A group of non-government organisations on Thursday blamed the Palike’s failure to segregate waste at source as the reason for garbage menace in the City. Members of Environment Support Group (ESG), the Citizens' Action Forum (CAF), Solid Waste Management Round Table and SAAHAS, Dalit Sangharsha Samithi and Hasiru Dala at a press meet said Palike’s systemic failure in handling the City’s waste has caused the present crisis. “Much of waste from the City is rich in organic matter and can easily be converted into compost at source and used as manure for plants. Moreover, there are several organisations in the City who can provide innovative solutions to effectively handle waste,” they said.
Unattended rubbish heaps invite insects, rodents and stray animals. They do not, however, have any direct implication on people’s health, experts say. But if flies from garbage dumps bite someone, there are chances of him/her developing ‘insect bite allergy’, Dr Maya Philip, dermatologist, Mallya Hospital, said. There is no known case of skin allergies caused by garbage. Those residing close to garbage dumps, especially in landfill areas, do suffer from insect bite allergies. Skin rashes are mainly seen among those who handle garbage with their hands,” she said.
