Residents of communities around the Vrishabhavathi river valley in Kengeri had a scare on Monday after a mound of garbage was set on fire on the banks of the river. The fire started to spread and came dangerously close to an apartment complex nearly a kilometre away. Fire tenders had to be rushed to the spot to put out the blaze.
This was not an isolated incident.
Rakesh Kumar, a resident of a nearby gated community, said garbage is routinely set on fire in the private land next to their community on the banks of the river. “As recently as a month ago, garbage was set on fire in a similar manner. We put it out using a water tanker. This time, the shrubs on the bank also caught fire, which then spread rapidly,” said Mr. Kumar. He added that the blaze came dangerously close to an apartment that was more than 700 metres away from where the garbage was set on fire.
Senior BBMP officials said they would look into the issue if a complaint is lodged. “We are trying our best to prevent garbage burning in the city. Strict enforcement in the city seems to have pushed miscreants to the outskirts. We will take stringent action against anyone found burning garbage and also against landlords of the plots where this is happening,” a senior official said.
Residents alleged that their complaints to authorities have not helped. Many also complained of breathing difficulties and the poor quality of air. The frequent garbage fires have added to air pollution in the area, inconveniencing the residents to no end, even as garbage burning is illegal, they said.