The rotting pile of wet waste after festival celebrations has been a major concern for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), that is already struggling to manage the solid waste generated in the city daily. However, after the Yelahanka model, where festival waste was handled locally last year, the responsibility will be extended to other areas on Ugadi – the festival that rings in the new year.
“We will be getting rid of additional garbage at the ward-level itself. Volunteers and officers at this level will be co-ordinating the work. The intention is to not let any of the additional garbage leave the ward. Composting of the festival generated-waste will be done in the ward itself,” said Sarfaraz Khan, Joint commissioner (Health/Solid Waste Management). He added that this project had been successful in the Yelahanka ward and that it would be done on a pilot basis for the entire city during Ugadi.
“The city generates around 3,000 tonnes of garbage daily and sees an increase by around 30 per cent during festivities,” says N.S. Ramakanth, member of the expert committee on solid waste management who has been roped in by the BBMP to help with the project. “Ugadi is a festival that generates lesser waste, and most of it wet or compostable like special leaves and bananas that can be easily composted locally,” he said, adding that they were in the process of carrying out awareness programmes in several neighbourhoods.
The waste will be dumped in pits dug up locally and then covered with cow dung water.
Mr. Ramakanth said that this project could be used as a model, in tackling the bigger amounts of waste usually generated during Dussera followed by Gowri Ganesha and then Bakrid, that all fall within a week of each other.
“It is dry and we also do not have the rain to deal with right now, so the circumstances are ideal to test this methodology,” said Mr. Sarfaraz Khan, admitting that most of their garbage problems would go away if this worked.
Festive mess
Waste goes up 30 to 40 per cent during festivals
Bengaluru generates around 3,000 tonnes of waste daily
Previous problems include pile-ups around busy markets, street corners. K.R. Market, Gandhi Bazaar, Kalasipalya, wards in Bommanahalli, South Zone, are worst hit
It is mostly wet waste that can be composted
Festivals like Gowri Ganesha and Bakrid fall within a week of each other. Most of the festivals fall during rainy season
