BENGALURU: A BBMP truck parked on the Varthur Lake Bridge has reportedly been releasing leachate into the lake. Leachate is a liquid that takes in substances from the material through which it passes, often making the liquid harmful or poisonous.
The residents of the area say that despite several complaints made to the authorities and despite raising the issue in ward committee meetings, the problem has not been solved. Jagadish Reddy, Varthur village resident and member Varthur Raising said, “The issue is nine months old. The truck is parked at night and till the morning it is stationed on Lake Bridge during which all the dirty liquid that leaks comes on to the road and enters the lake area.”
According to the stipulated rules of Solid Waste Management, the compactors and trucks should be parked at safe places and away from lakes, residential areas, schools and hospitals. The auto tippers have to come to the designated place called ‘transfer point’ and empty the waste collected.
“Once the truck leaves the transfer point with a truckload of waste, the area has to be sprayed with chemicals like bleaching powder to prevent infection from spreading. But in this case, this process is missing,” said Reddy, adding, every month Rs 1.5 lakh is sanctioned to maintain the transfer point but the trucks are still spotted at different points.
Confirming that the BBMP compactors were found parked on Lake Bridge, Assistant Engineer, Solid Waste Management, Mamatha told TNIE that the violation was noticed 10 days ago and the drivers had been instructed to park the vehicles at safer place. “Standing instructions have been given to the garbage truck driver not to park anywhere in the lake surrounding,” claimed Mamatha.