This neighbourhood in Electronic City is choking!

by October 26, 2016 Environment
Residents of Basapura suffer from persistent cough and breathing issues as garbage dumped in the immediate vicinity of apartments and offices is burnt day in day out.

The people of Basapura, a growing neighbourhood in Electronic City, face a serious health hazard as tons of mixed waste including plastic are burnt every day, right in the heart of a residential area.


The garbage dump that is set to fire everyday. Photo courtesy: Basapura residents

At the root of this is an open area surrounded by many apartment complexes & major offices which has been converted into a dumping yard. The piles of garbage deposited here are set to fire everyday, creating thick smoke. The fire is usually seen in the wee hours of dawn and again in the evening around 5 pm, but the smoke fills the surrounding areas throughout the day.


Tonnes of mixed waste including plastic are burnt regularly. Photo courtesy: Basapura residents

Residents in the neighbouring apartments complain of persistent cough and breathing problems. The dense smoke also causes low visibility, raising the risk of accidents on Nice Road which runs right next to this dumping yard.

Worst hit by this smoke and poisonous air have been the kids who can’t play outside anymore and keep coughing inside their houses as well. As parents, we are helpless and many of us have resorted to wearing masks even inside our homes.
 
When the fire burns and the smoke becomes unbearable, especially at night, we have often notified the fire station. In most instances, the fire brigade cited its inability to reach the site, till October 24th when the residents themselves guided the engine. The fire was temporarily put out then.

Continuous smoke emission from the burning garbage is leading to serious health issues for residents in the area. Photo courtesy: Basapura residents

On a number of occasions, residents have dialled 100 to lodge police complaints, and on October 23rd they filed a written petition, addressed to the Officer In Charge, Electronic City Police Station. The authorities have promised action, failing which an FIR will be filed against the unknown persons dumping waste in that land.
 
Citizens affected by the menace are now deciding on the next steps that will enable them to take their fight against the garbage mafia to a higher forum, which will hopefully bring them some respite from the constant threat to their health and well being.
Sections:

About Gaurav Behere

Read more by Gaurav Behere

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

Bengaluru’s Peripheral Ring Road: Traffic relief or ecological disaster?

by February 18, 2026 Environment
Even as landowners contest unfair compensation, other issues persist: emissions, large-scale tree felling, and the project's alignment through lake ecosystems.

Two decades after the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) was announced, the project is far from completion. For farmers, it has meant years of uncertainty and mounting financial losses, while residents remain unsure about the usefulness of the long-pending road development. In an earlier article, we explored how the PRR project could lead to forced migration and threaten the livelihoods of farmers. In Part 2 of the series, we did a deep dive into the manipulation of compensation options that landowners strictly oppose. However, farmers and environmentalists raise different concerns: even if the road is built, will it truly ease traffic…

Continue reading

Similar Story

From Kuruvimedu to Besant Avenue, how Chennai breathes unequally

by February 5, 2026 Environment
Ahead of the art exhibition ‘Pugai Padam’, this photo essay captures the contrasting realities of air and the lived experiences of air pollution in Chennai.

The chimneys of the NTECL Vallur Thermal Power Station, billowing smoke, loom over Kuruvimedu in Ponneri, Thiruvallur near Chennai. Wedged between the plant and its sprawling 300-acre ash pond, the hamlet lies under a blanket of kari (coal) and sambal (ash), coating its narrow streets, colourful homes, and trees. Kuruvimedu is hard to find on Google maps, just as its namesake bird. The main road leading to this place is flanked by factories and industrial complexes, its surface riddled with potholes that make every journey dangerous for motorists.  Home to mangroves, networks of canals, and fields, Kuruvimedu once buzzed with…

Continue reading