City: Bengaluru

Susheela* begins her work at 6 am and finishes around 2 pm. During the eight hour work shift, the 45-year-old pourakarmika rarely takes a break. She tries her best to only drink water and take toilet breaks twice. She controls herself until her morning meal at 10 am and final call at 2 pm at a local government school in Thindlu, in the Vidyaranyapura ward in North Bengaluru. There is a public toilet next to the school, which Susheela and nearly 50 pourakarmikas in her group or mustering use. “I try to avoid drinking water until my breaks ,” she…

Namma Metro (BMRCL), after a long delay, extended the Green Line services beyond Yelachenahalli station to Silk Institute station, with additional five stops inaugurated on January 14 2021. But the new stations are not friendly to senior citizens and persons with disabilities. The metro stations have entry/exit gates on the east and west sides. For commuters on the west side, there is only one upward escalator to reach the concourse (ticketing area). However, after alighting from the concourse they have to walk down the steps (numbering about 35) to reach ground level. Recently, I watched two senior citizens struggling to…

In 2017, 3Wayste-- a French firm--submitted a proposal to the Government of Karnataka (GoK) and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to implement an integrated municipal solid waste (MSW) management project at Chikkanagamangala.  Using the company's proprietary, patented waste-to-energy technology, the plant would generate electricity from processing MSW, i.e refuse derived fuel (RDF), converting the existing MSW-processing plant to an incineration-based WTE plant.   The plant was intended to process 500 tonnes of mixed waste (300 tonnes supplied by the BBMP, and 200 tonnes from other sources). 3Wayste proposed to process refuse-derived fuel (RDF) to generate 9.2 MW of power.   After 3Wayste…

Viral fever cases among children An increase in hospitalisations, among children, due to viral fever has been reported since December last year. Influenza, including the currently prevalent H3N2 strain, is causing upper respiratory tract infections and body ache. On the other hand, adenovirus is leading to respiratory infections, gastro-enteritis and conjunctivitis, though body ache associated with it is less severe. Fever, cold, sore throat, body pain, vomiting and diarrhoea are probable adenovirus symptoms. However, adenovirus symptoms, which used to earlier resolve in two to three days, are now lasting seven to 10 days, with high-grade fever. The prevalence has been…

As a run-up to the upcoming Assembly Elections in Karnataka, the Bangalore Apartments' Federation (BAF) has launched a campaign Every Vote Matters (EVM). The campaign will have multiple activities to support member residents in three themes: Voter registration, voter awareness, and voter participation. Historically, it is generally believed that apartments/gated communities are not considered a significant vote bank as very few people register and vote, especially in local or assembly elections. BAF, through its sustained campaign, hopes to change this mindset and establish itself as a vote bank to reckon with. The campaign is expected to reach half a million…

In October 2021, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s government announced a Rs.6,000 crore grant under the Amrut Nagarothana Scheme for Bengaluru. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) was entrusted with undertaking a slew of infrastructural development work across sectors like road infrastructure, lakes, stormwater drains, hospitals, etc.  Ahead of the assembly polls, the state and the BBMP budget allocations focused mainly on the development of physical infrastructure in the form of flyovers, reconstruction of roads, etc. The Amrut Nagarothana Scheme, also known as Mukyamantri Nagarothana or Nagarothana Yojane, was launched to improve infrastructure in the urban local bodies across Karnataka. However,…

Near the Cauvery Underpass on Sankey Road is a majestic old Indian rubber fig tree, its aerial roots spread all around. With a height of 12 metres and a girth of 11 metres, the tree is a sight to behold, its huge canopy extending right across the two lanes. A little ahead in the same street is yet another Indian rubber fig, towering over the Café Coffee Day outlet next to it. Both trees are believed to be 60 plus years old and are just two of the 50-odd trees that would have to be cut or lopped in the…

A study by ActionAid Association found several problems with the sewage treatment plants (STPs) managed by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). The quality of treated water is not being monitored at STPs despite it being mandatory, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The study raises doubts about the efficacy of BWSSB’s STPs; the findings can be read in Part 1. Worryingly, even the functional BWSSB STPs appear to have several issues. The ActionAid report highlighted that BWSSB had lower water quality standards compared to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), and was completely ignoring certain…

The quality of treated water is not being monitored completely or accurately at several major sewage treatment plants (STP), managed by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), according to a study by ActionAid Association. At least 13 STPs were found to not be monitoring important water quality parameters. The study was conducted between November and December 2022 and the report was submitted to BWSSB on February 20, 2023, according to Raghavendra Pachhapur, senior project lead at Action Aid India. The media reported on the issue the very next day. I checked the BWSSB portal to see if some of…

BBMP presents budget The BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) on March 2nd presented its budget of Rs 11,157 crore at Town Hall. Infrastructure projects received 63% allocation, followed by solid waste management that got 14.73%. It is the third time that the BBMP has presented a budget in the absence of a city council. Amid opposition, the civic body also proposed five more flyovers. Pushing for transparency in accounting, the BBMP has created IFMS (Integrated Financial Management System). The BBMP has also earmarked Rs 92 crore to establish 61 primary health centres and allocated Rs 2 crore for the Bangalore Health System…