Bengaluru’s troubles with garbage collection and disposal are reflected in the latest Swachha Survekshan survey, which has given it a dismal 194th rank among the cities covered. While many believe the pourakarmikas need to be trained to do a better job and the BBMP needs to pull up its socks, civic activists warn that unless the people too take pride in their city and help keep it clean, Bengaluru cannot hope to fare better in future surveys, DC reports
To Bengaluru’s embarassment it continues to perform badly in the Centre’s Swachha Survekshan survey, which has placed it at a lowly 194th position, far below many other cities in the country, including Karnataka’s own, Mysuru, which is leagues ahead of it at third place. While the city was expected to feature at least among the top 100 cities in the latest survey, it has plummeted once again in the ratings, leaving Bengalureans wondering when, if ever, they can expect to live in cleaner surroundings.
Although the BBMP is trying to make a success of its door-To- door garbage collection and segregation of waste at source, it is clearly fighting an uphill battle with hurdles dogging it at every step. While it is now talking about reintroducing dustbins in the city, some believe that unless the pourakaramikas, who sweep it, are trained to do a better job, it cannot expect to climb the scale in the Swachh Survekshan survey.
They point out that the pourakarmikas often heap the garbage below a transformer or push it into a storm water drain instead of removing it from the road altogether, allowing it to scatter once again as the day progresses.
“The heaps of garbage on the roadsides are supposed to be carried away in the pushcarts that the pourakarmikas use. But instead they leave it lying around and the wind scatters the rubbish back on to the road and footpath. Some pourakarmikas really don’t know what they are doing,” complain residents, demanding that the BBMP conduct regular workshops and train the pourakarmikas in cleaning the city.
In their view, lack of training of the sweepers is also making a mess of segregation of garbage at source as they simply mix it up even after it is divided into wet and dry waste by households.
“We have separate bins in our homes for segregation of the garbage. But what is the point when it is all mixed up once again in the pushcarts or the mini-autos that collect them?” asks a resident of Chamarajpet.
Although the authorities have flown some of the pourakarmikas to Singapore in recent years to give them a taste of what is expected of them, it clearly hasn’t worked as their experience doesn’t appear to have helped the majority, who continue to do a haphazard job of sweeping the city.
Besides sensitisation, strict supervision is then obviously the key to a better performance by the poura-karmikas. Is the BBMP listening?
Make the city your own, Bengaluru!
Civic evangelist, V Ravichandar believes Bengaluru could have got a good ranking in the Swachha Survekshan survey if the people took pride in the city they lived in and helped by not littering. “I think the ranking would have been better if the people took pride in the city and did not litter or use the street side for ablutions,” he says, warning that unless the people cooperate more, the government will not be able to do an efficient job of waste management.
As for the negative feedback given by the people during the Swachha Survekshan survey, Mr Ravichandar says, “We can expect a positive feedback only if people feel good about their city.” If Mysuru is doing better in the survey, it is because its people are attached to it and take pride in their city, argue some civic activists. “They just don’t throw garbage where they like. Residents of Mysuru are proud of the city they live in and contribute their bit to keep it clean,” they contend.
Ask BBMP officials and they blame the negative feedback given by the people for the city’s poor ranking in the Centre’s survey , but promise to do what they can from their end to improve it next year.
