The city is expected to generate at least 500 tonnes of additional green waste during the Ayudha Puja on Monday putting additional burden on the city’s waste management.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is looking at scaling up the successful 2015 Yelahanka model of festival waste management — that saw all green waste collected and composted locally in farmlands — to a pan-city level. But there are apprehensions among volunteers spearheading the project about lack of preparedness.
Yelahanka, which collected 65 tonnes of festival waste, including banana leaves and pumpkins, composted the waste in a farmland in Doddaballapur and generated 13 tonnes of manure during last year’s Dasara.
Yelahanka zone is again leading in its preparations to handle festival waste. Other zones which have set aside land pits for composting festival waste are Mahadevapura, Dasarahalli and Bommanahalli.
Special attention is being given to industrial areas like Peenya and Bommanahalli which will generate a huge volume of green waste.
However, Ramprasad, a leading volunteer in the programme, said that there were no preliminary meetings held in many core zones like east and west, leading to fears of mismanagement.
“The programme was probably kicked off too late for adequate preparations to be made. The long weekend has resulted in the absence of most of the civic officials,” he said.
Separate team ok, but land?
N.S. Ramakanth, member, SWM Expert Committee, BBMP, said that while the civic body can easily ensure a separate team to collect green waste across the city, it is difficult to find land owners who are willing to allow the civic body to dig pits on their land to make the compost.
“Last time we had only one pit in Yelahanka farm which took around 65 tonnes of green waste. This year we have dug up multiple pits which can take up to 250 tonnes. We are also working to identify farmers around Bengaluru who are willing to take green waste and make compost out of it — which we hope will help overcome the shortcomings in various zones,” he said.
“Even a partial success would go a long way in reducing the burden at the waste processing units,” Mr. Ramakanth added.
