Garbage, leachate and congestion: The cost of Bengaluru’s lack of transfer stations

Bengaluru’s lack of an effective waste management system can be witnessed every day on the city’s streets, not only through the rising number of black spots, but also through the unscientific garbage logistics, which have been a major inconvenience to commuters for years.

If you are a daily commuter on Siddapura Road in the southern part of the city, just before the road converges with Marigowda Road, a strong stench greets you. Then, you see a heap of garbage before having to endure the traffic light amid the foul smell. The stench is a result of leachate overflowing onto the road during the transfer process.

Typically, once waste is collected by smaller garbage collection tippers, it is subsequently offloaded into large compactor vehicles. Successive administrations have historically failed to establish dedicated spaces for such garbage transfers. Currently, only three places have dedicated facilities: Adugodi, Chamarajpet, and Sarvajnanagar.

Across the rest of the city, the exercise is carried out on the streets, leading to the overflow of leachate onto roads, stench from the spillages, and micro-level congestion. Even busy stretches such as M.G. Road, Bannerghatta Road, and HAL Road, among others, witness the same situation.

Daily misery

Sourabh, a daily commuter on Victoria Road near Ashok Nagar, said the transfer is carried out right at the Lower Agaram junction, and the smell is unbearable. “If we are at the front of the queue at the signal, then for two whole minutes we have to bear the smell. The worst part is that it even affects traffic,” he said.

On the link road connecting St. Mark’s Road and M.G. Road, commuters regularly encounter a compactor taking loads from small tippers. On hot summer days, when the leachate dries up, the entire stretch carries an unbearable smell.

Meera, a resident of Malleshpalya under the Bengaluru Central City Corporation, also said navigating the main road — the gateway to numerous residential areas and schools — is an arduous task as vehicles, including BMTC buses, get stuck due to the garbage transfer on the road. “Shops that sell food and groceries have also shifted to the inner roads due to this,” she said.

Micro-level congestion

A senior traffic official noted that the exercise is a serious contributor to micro-level congestion at many places across the city. “As there will be not just one vehicle but several tippers lined up behind it, the stretch automatically witnesses slow-moving traffic. The ripple effect then extends to major roads,” the officer said.

However, a major concern, as Kavitha Gowda, a resident of Thindlu, points out, is the presence of transfer spots on residential streets. “Many people walk on the double road where the transfer happens. It is an inconvenience to pedestrians and residents alike, who have to endure the foul smell throughout the day after the leachate dries up,” she said.

This is the second story in the series on the deepening garbage crisis in the city.