Damaged fence dangerously dangling near Ulsoor lake. Pic: Ganga Madappa
Does this look surreal? Unreal? Or photoshopped? No – this is a real picture projecting the state of affairs in the Ulsoor lake bund. Such broken fencing areas are attracting dumpers, while the stagnant water inside continues to breed all sorts of mosquitoes.
Though dumping was regular activity near Auro Mirra International school in Ulsoor in central Bengaluru, it reached the peak in the past couple of days. Residents of Lakeshore Manor Apartments, next to Auro Mirra School, noticed a tanker with a Maharashtra registration number, carrying septic tank waste and disposing of the load into the storm water drain in front of the school.
On the 200-metre stretch of road, that runs along four buildings, from Lakeshore Manor Apartments to Auro Mirra school alone, the fencing for the storm water drain has been damaged at at least seven points. This includes both small outlets that look as if they were originally meant for rainwater run-off, to gaping holes in the fence that almost seem to invite the dumping of waste.
Building material, plastic, discarded pushcarts, dried flowers, broken glass — all sorts of waste can be found here. The storm water drain here, is no longer able to retain its original purpose of being meant for rainwater run-off alone.
The public also seems to have converted some stretch of the land between the fencing and the storm water drain, into a public urinal of sorts. A little further, if one walks on the bund, there is access to more land, which currently serves as residence to several homeless folks.
Another part of the broken fence near Ulsoor lake. Pic: Ganga Madappa
Complaints fall on deaf years
Citizen Matters spoke to M Jagadesh, the building manager at Lakeshore Manor. He said that big trucks typically come in the dead of the night, when most folks are sleeping and offload waste, mostly building material or septic waste, and that the dumping has been going on for almost a year.
He added that the trucks are typically water tankers and that they use pipes to offload the waste into the storm water drains. He also added that complaints have been made multiple times to the local corporator as well as the police. While the corporators have maintained that they will look into the matter, the police has never showed up.
As one walks along the fence, there is a permeating stink of sewage and human waste that lingers in the air. Jagadesh mentioned that it gets very smelly at times. ‘We already have a sewage running in front; I can’t imagine why they are dumping more waste into this.’
Septic waste dumped near Ulsoor lake, going into the lake. Pic: Ganga Madappa
BBMP now promises action
Many parents of the children studying in the school are afraid that this is a terrible situation for the health of the children in the school and the residents in the area. An apartment resident has noted down the number of the tanker, while a few others have complained to BBMP against the dumping. BBMP AEE Sudhakar Shetty assured them that the matter will be looked into.
Jyothika, a member of the Auro Mirra school management, claimed that since the school campus was a little away from the road and considering that it was full of trees, the stink did not bother the children much. She however added that parents of children in school have brought the matter to the school’s knowledge and that the school would take up the matter with BBMP.
The BBMP did a spot inspection and have promised residents of the apartment that the case “will be forwarded” to the BBMP Health department. They said this will be dealt with at the earliest. BBMP has promised to repair and fix the broken fencing around the storm water drain, to stop people from dumping.
The tanker owner, Raju, denied the claims that his tanker ever dumped in this place. He said the tanker driver was smoking in the place which was misinterpreted by locals. He claimed that the septic tank waste from Bannerghatta road and other areas in Bangalore is carried to his farm in Kanakpura Road, to be used as manure.
If you stay near this area, do alert us by commenting below this article, if the dumping does not stop, or if BBMP does not keep its promise.
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