Bengaluru's Mitganahalli: A ticking waste bomb defused for now

BENGALURU: The agitation by people of villages around Mitganahalli, which showed all signs of getting intense, seems to have subsided for now.

The agitators, who prevented several trucks carrying garbage from entering the landfill at Mitganahalli for two days, decided to withdraw their agitation on certain conditions to which the BBMP agreed.

Many residents of Mitaganahalli, 25 km from Bengaluru, alleged that BBMP has been dumping hundreds of tonnes of unsegregated garbage at the landfill daily since 2012. This led to leachate formation and unbearable stench not only at Mitganahalli, but also at Kannur and nearby villages.

“Hundreds of people from Mitganahalli, Kannur and nearby villages stopped the BBMP trucks and protested for two days. However, they withdrew their protest after officials from BBMP and Bangalore Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) held talks and assured them of fixing issues such as leachate leak and foul smell,” said Ashwathappa from Mitganahalli.

He said the 50-acre landfill is close to Mitganahalli where over 800 people reside. The stench emanating from the landfill is now unbearable and many face health issues. The landfill becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes and houseflies whenever it rains.

‘Leachate treatment plant will be built at Mitganahalli’

The number of stray dogs has also increased because of dumping of garbage haphazardly.

“Our pleas to civic officials and politicians to take steps for safety measures at the landfill have been ignored. Hence, we launched an agitation,” he said.

“There are six borewells at Mitganahalli. But water in three borewells has been contaminated because of seepage of leachate from the landfill,” Ashwathappa said.

The villagers said though they have been protesting, no politicians and officials bothered to address their problems. “The region also faces a threat from stone-crushing units. Noise and dust pollution has increased because of the stone-crushing units,” Muniswami, a member of Kannur Gram Panchayat, said.

M Lokesh, chief engineer of Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited, which deals with city’s waste management, said that Mitganahalli Lake will be rejuvenated soon. A leachate treatment plant will be built on a four-acre plot there. “Tenders will be invited soon for these works,” he added.

He said about 2,000 tonnes of waste is processed at plants in BTM Layout and other places in the city and 3,000 tonnes sent to Mitganahalli.