The Deccan Chronicle  04.08.2010

What a waste! Bengaluru’s garbage plan still in the bin

Visit the so-called upmarket shopping centres like Commercial Street and Brigade Road at any time of the day and you are greeted with loads of rubbish on the roadside. Travel further to some of the suburbs and the stench is unbearable from the heaps of garbage that find their way on to the streets, attracting mosquitoes, stray dogs and cows.

Introduced with great of fanfare some years ago, door-to-door garbage collection does not seem to be working well in a number of neighbourhoods as the rubbish still finds its way on to the streets. The absence of dustbins makes things only worse as garbage is allowed to rot in the open. People are so fed up with diseases that the garbage throws up that they came out on the streets to protest the death of a 15-year-old boy in Mavallipura when it was reported he died of dengue.

Some 30 per cent of the 3,200 metric tonnes of garbage which the city generates every day, is dumped in various street corners and open drains, according to estimates. But this does not seem to bother BBMP, content with its schemes on paper, that don’t seem to serve the purpose of keeping the city clean. Even election of corporators doesn’t seem to be helping matters as they too don’t seem to think there is a problem to be solved.

But Jayamahal corporator M.K. Gunashekar blames BBMP engineers for the poor garbage collection. He claims there is an unholy nexus between contractors and BBMP engineers in garbage management. “Although environmental engineers are supposed to oversee garbage maintenance, the money is released by other engineers who have nothing to do with it,” he alleges observing that the garbage disposal system itself is unscientific, with plastic waste being allowed to choke drains. He points out that BBMP should be relying only on competent contractors for garbage disposal and using scientific dumping yards to treat the rubbish the city generates.

Dr Meenakshi Bharath who is playing a vital role in garbage segregation in Malleswaram, has a very useful suggestion to make, which could help keep the rubbish off the streets, defeating any garbage scams that may be afoot. People must be taught to turn their garbage into compost which can be used in the parks and gardens of Bengaluru, she says.

“BBMP must fund forming of compost pits in parks and grounds. Dry waste like leaves and waste paper can be processed into manure and used for gardening,” she rightly points out, also suggesting that people should be encouraged to segregate their waste before disposing of it by BBMP. “Pourakarmikas too must be trained to segregate the garbage they collect,” she adds.

The Pioneer 03.08.2010

Dengue mosquitoes run riot at waterlogged Games sites

Parvaiz Sultan | New Delhi

With an alarming rise in the number of dengue cases in the Capital so far, the viral disease may pose serious threat during the Commonwealth Games. Holding the Delhi Government and other agencies involved in Games projects, responsible for the rise in number of dengue cases, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Monday said so far 61 cases have been reported in Delhi and NCR, while the figure was just two up to August 2 last year.

VK Monga, Chairman, Health Committee, MCD, said, the water accumulation at various Games sites is one of the major reasons for the rise in number of dengue cases.

“In comparison to the last year’s statistics, this year has seen 30 times rise in dengue cases. The various sites have been dug up unnecessarily and left uncovered or unfilled where water has gathered consequently leading to mosquito breeding. Regardless of several reminders sent to concerned agencies, no necessary action has been taken. For the rise in dengue incident, only CWG construction is to be blamed,” he said adding a case of chikungunya has also been reported this year.

As per the latest data available up to August 2, 2010, 48 out of 61 cases belong to the Delhi and remaining 13 cases have been reported from neighbouring States. Surprisingly, during first seven months of 2009, only one dengue case came into the light in the Capital and in 2008 the number was eight. However, the figure was two in 2007 and in 2006 it was three. Conveying his displeasure over the mess, Monga said on July 14, he wrote to Health Minister Kiran Walia to take immediate measures and cooperate with the MCD but she has not responded yet.

“I took initiative and have asked her to convene a meeting of Health Department officials of the Delhi Government with MCD officers. But even after a reminder, I am still waiting to hear. I want this issue to be taken seriously on priority basis for making CWG a success,” said Monga. Meanwhile, Leader of House Subhash Arya also warned no leniency will be allowed; guilty will be punished.

Last Month, Municipal Commissioner KS Mehra has cautioned that there may be outbreak of viral illness during the gala sporting event in the city. “Since dengue, a viral illness with cyclical trend of increase in cases after every three-four years is coinciding with Games this year, citizens of Delhi should come forward for lending a helping hand to MCD,” said Mehra.

After detecting mosquito breeding in several stadia being prepared for the Commonwealth Games, the agency has initiated prosecution against the nodal officers of Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, RK Khanna Sports Complex, DDA Sports Complex, Saket, CWG Village, Yamuna Sports Complex, Yamuna Sports Complex and others. MCD has also hired 280 anti-malaria inspectors including 3,500 Domestic Breeding Checkers (DBCs). In view of the Games, the recruitment was made in April while they would recruit in June every year normally.