REPORT ON LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE:

DODDAGUUBI’S ILLEGAL LANDIFILL

SUBMITTED BY

JOCHEBED BIJESH SLATER

20211BAL0060

BA.LLB & SECTION-1

SUBMITTED TO

Prof. RAVIKRISHNAN E M

SCHOOL OF LAW, PRESIDENCY UNIVERSITY

BENGALURU

KARNATAKA, INDIA

20th December, 2023

BENGALURU’S ILLEGAL LANDFILL CAUSES ANGUISH ON VILLAGERS

OF DODDAGUBBI, AUTHORITIES PUT AN END TO TORMENTS OF

CIVILLIANS

20/12/2023 (Wednesday) 8:45 AM IST

Waste management is a serious

problem worldwide. In India, waste
management regulations are
formulated for sustainable
development, so municipalities and
other agencies are authorized to
create an environment to minimize
waste generation in society. To regulate the rise of waste generation, different legislations
concerning the way of disposal and the way to trot out generated waste were enacted and
acquired underneath the umbrella of the surroundings Environment Protection Act (EPA),
1986.

However, different types of waste are generated in society, and the control of specific types of
waste requires separate regulations and laws, and requires special attention. In fact, cities and
countries usually produce waste as a by-product. With rapid urbanization since the 1990s,
India has faced major challenges in managing and disposing of waste, which is mainly
generated in metropolitan areas and large cities. It is estimated that in 2018, 377 million
urban residents in India generated 62 million tons of municipal solid waste.

Waste is any material that isn’t required by the proprietor, maker, or processor. People,
creatures, different living beings, and all cycles of creation and utilization produce waste. It
has consistently been a piece of the world’s environment. Its inclination and scale were the
end goal that the biological system could utilize waste in its numerous cycles. There is no
actual waste in nature. The evident waste starting with one process turns into info then onto
the next. It is the outstanding development of human exercises that have made junk an issue
to be overseen. We are merely delivering significantly more waste than nature can deal with.
What we dispose-off stays in the environment and causes some contamination. This
contamination can affect away from the purpose of age and far eliminated as expected.
The Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is a crucial responsibility handled by
municipal authorities. Its primary purpose is to ensure the cleanliness of urban centers by
effectively managing the disposal and treatment of solid waste generated within the
municipality. MSWM refers to the organized efforts and systems put in place by local
governments to handle and control the waste produced by residents and businesses in urban
areas. Ascending in pay, uncontrolled and spontaneous urbanization, and changing lifeways
have brought about enormous volumes and varying MSW compositions. With a growing
number of people and the Information Technology (IT) zone creating necessities, the local
experts are endeavoring to give the correct strong waste administration structure to a pleasant
level.

MSW synthesis variety assumes a significant function in the waste management framework.
It was seen that radical expansion in the natural waste from 42% in 1999 to 61% in 2013
might be essential because of increment populace, inappropriate strong waste administration,
or green waste collection because of reusing exercises in Bangalore City, a 16% decline in the
paper, cardboard, and leather wastes. Bangalore has 198 wards, the Bruhat Bangalore
Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the office vested with the obligation of removal of solid waste,
is occupied with different endeavors to give a compelling SWM framework to the city, fusing
a progression of approaches, for example, resident contribution, investment in appropriate
infrastructure and technology, just as observing the different frameworks that are right now
dealing with the current blend of actors and techniques.

The city of Bangalore doesn’t have any logical treatment strategy facilities for solid waste
produced by the municipal and the industries around Bangalore. This has provoked the
headway of a couple of illegal and unapproved dump objections in Bangalore.

The mountain of unsegregated toxic garbage illegally dumped in

the quarry, known locally as Byrathi Bande, has been causing air
and groundwater pollution, posing large-scale threats to the lives
of locals, including the state’s largest HIV and AIDS care center
called ACCEPT, which stands just a stone’s throw away. Loads
of construction waste was being dumped into the wasteland
constantly by way of trucks. A black stream of pollutants
(leachate mixed with rainwater) flowed form the landfill into
nearby waterbodies, which further flow down to Doddagubbi Lake. This stream of highly
toxic and polluted water flows right through the nearby properties, leading to the cows and
birds to quench their thirst in such a waterbody, where aqua life has already died in entirety.

Due to this the groundwater has also been polluted. Samples of groundwater near the landfill
site were found unfit for consumption, with hardness level of 620 mg/L, which is thrice the
agreeable limit of 200mg/L. High levels of total dissolved solids (up to 1,645 ppm, as against
the desirable 500ppm) was also reported by the locals.

On 14/12/2023 (Thursday), the authorities scrambled to shut down this abandoned quarry-
turned landfill that was wreaking havoc on the lives of the villagers in Doddagubbi, which is
about 20 KM North of Bengaluru. The Doddagubbi gram panchayat blocked access to the
dump after an enquiry with the officials on who had authorized the landfill.

A team of -law enforcement- officials accompanied by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike

(BBMP) officials, rushed to quarry, found a debris-laden truck at the site and seized it for
further investigation. The civic body has also deployed marshals at the site to stop further
illegal dumping.

The villagers of Doddagubbi along with the Chairman of ACCEPT, Mr. Raju. K. Mathew
expressed fear that with the onset of monsoon, the “garbage soup” will enter the HIV AND
AIDS care center, Mr. Mathew said they will be forced to shut down the care center, if the
authorities don’t take any swift action.