Stench leaves Siddaramaiah breathless!

Bengaluru: Several kilometers before Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC) plant in Somasundarapalya, a pungent smell fills the air, carrying a whiff of Mandur. On entering the plant, the stench worsens as big flies buzz around. According to local residents, the groundwater has turned red and Somasundarapalya Lake is contaminated with sewage and illegal dumping of garbage.

The irked residents shouted slogans and protested holding placards, when CM Siddaramaiah visited the KCDC plant as part of city tour on Saturday. “Our problems are no different from that of those living near landfills,” said an activist.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Kavita Reddy, a lake activist, stressed, “The plant has a capacity to treat only 150- 200 tonnes of wet waste but the BBMP is processing nearly 500 tonnes of mixed waste, which is emanating a stifling stench.”

Madhu, another activist, highlighted that there were several apartment complexes, schools and shops in the vicinity of the plant and it was children, who often fell ill.

“Infections from mosquitoes and flies are very common and water borne diseases are also on the rise. Residents have to keep their windows and doors shut all through the day,” she said.

Reacting to these complaints during a press briefing, CM said that the plant had been functional for 40 years and the city had not grown to this extent when the plant was approved. He pointed out that a buffer zone should have been demarcated around the plant but it was not done.

“There’s no denying that stench is emanating from the plant. Many complained that it was difficult to live in the locality. Hence, I have given standing instructions to BBMP officials that from now on there should be no stench at the plant. We have approved '60 crore for the maintenance of the plant and '30 crore is already spent. The BBMP will adopt odour control mechanism to reduce stench at the KCDC plant. Also, I have strictly ordered the officials to segregate garbage before bringing to the plant,” he assured. Commenting about the contamination of Somasundarapalya Lake, he said, “Sewage is entering the lake and BDA has proposed to set up a sewage treatment plant at the lake to arrest sewage. The lake will be developed and maintained by the BDA.” On the sidelines, he said that more awareness needs to be created on garbage segregation at source. “More campaigns are needed to make people understand that segregation is important,” he maintained.

‘Penalty on house owners if rain water harvesting not implemented’

The CM also sat through a brief presentation on Unaccounted For Water (UFW), an ambitious project undertaken by the BWSSB to curb water leakage and arrest illegal drawing of water. Later, Mr Siddaramaiah said, “Water leakage in the city is very high. Hence, to reduce the leakage, the BWSSB has taken UFW project at the cost of Rs 600 crore on 152 sq.km. Once commissioned, water leakage will be as less as 16 per cent from the present 51 per cent. The saved water will then be supplied to the 110 villages which have been newly added to BBMP limits.”

Further, speaking on the sidelines of the event, BWSSB chairman T.M Vijay Bhaskar maintained that compared to last year, the city was facing water scarcity and it had to cautiously utilise water.

“Our main source of supply is KRS and as of now there is only 22 tmc water in the reservoir. At the same time last year, it was around 45 tmc. It seems like there will be scarcity early next year,” he said.

Mr Bhaskar also stressed that the board will deal with iron hands with those who have not adopted rain water harvesting units at home. “We will levy penalty and start a drive soon to detect violations,” he said.

The CM also inspected the newly constructed Jayanagar Shopping Complex.

He said that the complex was constructed at a cost of Rs 252 crore and had a capacity for 750 cars' parking. He said that the complex would have four blocks and one block was fully ready.