If the smell in Somasundrapalya, Hosapalya and Kudlu is unbearable, thanks to the smell emanating from the composting plant, Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC), it’s just about bearable in HSR Layout. The stink affects different areas at different points in time, depending on the wind direction and also when the KCDC staff turn over the compost heap. That’s when the stink gets worse. And yes, the smell becomes all pervading and reaches up to Hosur Road and Nice Road, when it rains rhinos. This smell is usually in the evening and night, between 6pm and 12pm. That’s when either the heap is being turned over at KCDC, or the rain gods have smiled. So if you sense a horrible smell, the moment you step out of your homes in the evenings, you know it’s the KCDC to blame.
Fighting for the closure of the plant for over three years, the residents living in the immediate vicinity of the plant, in Kudlu, Somasundrapalya, Hosapalya and Sector 2 of HSR Layout, are planning to relocate. Efforts to reach out to the ruling government, both past and present, have resulted in everything but closure. The daily tonnage was brought down from 500 to 100 tonnes, but the stink remains, and so does the ground water contamination.
The residents are not just complaining of nausea, skin and throat allergies, but also persistent headaches due to the stink for over three years. Spraying lemon grass is doing little to contain the smell. KCDC’s efforts to compost within a contained facility failed several times. Additional expenses to make it a scientifically-run establishment did not work either. Instead, it polluted the nearby Somasundrapalya Lake that it also encroached for its operations. Now, the encroached area is being given back to the BBMP by the KCDC, so that the lake can be rejuvenated.
Over a year ago, MLA Sathish Reddy had proclaimed on social media that the KCDC plant will be shutdown soon. Before that, Rajeev Chandrashekar had made his appearance, just before the general elections, and promised all help. But nothing so far even though the BJP is in power now. Left with no other option, the residents have filed a Public Interest Litigation in court.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
In the meanwhile, the BBMP and social activists are educating people about the benefits of home composting, so plants like KCDC need not exist. Only the dry waste can be collected from homes by the BBMP, which again is recycled by entities like ITC. The kitchen and other wet waste can be turned into compost using several simple solutions available in the market. They are called by different names, but you could just search for ‘composters’ and you will come across enough products to choose from. Go through the reviews and pick the one that works best for you.
To get a practical demonstration of all the home composting solutions at home, head to Swachagraha Kalika Kendra in Sector 4, behind the petrol bunk near HSR flyover. They have a separate section meant to teach you on just this subject.
