Bangalore
A Look into the Environment of
India's Tech City
Garbage City
There is no doubt waste in Bangalore. It can be seen piled on the side of the streets, as islands in the darkened water, and raw sewage running as black rivers.
It’s understandable why foreigners would see only this. As was quoted by Chimamanda Ngozi on a TED Talk, “the danger of stereotypes is not that they are untrue; it is that they are incomplete.” This, too, is how I have chosen to see the waste problem of Bangalore. It is evident. But if that’s all you see, then you are using blinders to ignore all of the beauty.
When an American is done with a meal, or cleans out the refrigerator, where does that food go? Some may use composting solutions. The majority will use the garbage. The Indian way is much more holistic in ideology; put it outside. At first, I would walk the streets and question the piles of rice on the sides of the streets; why there were pedestals of lentils at the park. It dawned on me one day watching a meandering cow stop at a pile of slimy cabbage set outside an apartment building. The streets of Bangalore are alive; birds, cows, dogs, monkeys in some places. You could take the food that’s old or spoiled and throw it into the garbage. Or you could provide a being with a meal.
Waste goes beyond kitchen scraps.
Bangalore had approximately 5 million people in 2001. The 2018 consensus is over 12 million people. That kind of expansion is faster than civil infrastructure can keep up. The attempts to establish sewage systems began primarily in 1884, when the black plague impacted the internal development of the city. While several civil projects were launched in the 30’s and 50’s, the modern underground sewer system began construction in 1981. The network begins at the heart of the center and thousands of meters of pipeline has been laid. While a work in progress, it is currently hooked up in many places. Places that do not connect, and generally lead nowhere.
As you travel around Bangalore, there is a funny smell in some places.
That is most likely the raw sewage that drops out somewhere. The road drainage, which are open stone channels that guide the rain waters out of the heart of the city, become pools of sewage and solid waste.
Moving back to household waste, approximately 75% of the waste produced in Bangalore is organic waste. This number is staggering, especially when paired with the idea that there is less than 10% of waste is currently composted or recycled. The idea of waste separation is still new, as is the idea of picking up trash in front of houses. Waste pickers make money by selecting items of value, but the items of no value continue to pile up.
Now this is simply a freeze-frame in time. In order to get the broader idea, it is important to consider what is being done. Such a large change is important to look at the socioeconomic implications, the cultural standings, and the general climate of the situation.
Organizations like Hasiru Dala work on collecting and separating waste; on bringing decent wages to waste pickers and promoting recycling.
This organization becomes invested into the livelihood, housing, and other aspects of their workers’ lives. In an attempt to create a brighter future, they have decided to focus on those who work with solid waste. A large task force of underutilized peoples, it is truly a work to inspire.
Other organizations are focusing on reducing the organic waste that enters the garbage. Daily Dump, an organization that works with composting and recycling, has been working in the field for almost 12 years.
By offering large designs for apartments, small designs for personal households, and a slew of other products, they are trying to get citizens to understand the value of their waste. By placing value on the nutrients of kitchen scraps, they hope to convince the culture that there is worth. Once people want to change, then change is quite easy. Education is the first step to this process of change. Learning that illiteracy, disinterest and a lack of understanding all play a role into the problem, some products are based entirely around increasing knowledge. Comic strips with exciting panels teach people how to compost, what to recycle, and how to treat electronic waste.
This company was designed on the simple concept of trying to make a difference where one can be made.
Construction also occurs all over the city, as more pipes are laid. Hopefully, the Bangalore of tomorrow will be one of
successful civil infrastructure and clean streets. For now, that may seem far off. But the tendrils of information are spreading vastly. As soon as the flame of sustainability catches into a wildfire, the change will be rapid. There is already a platform designed to change everything; from roadside litter to the sewage that people produce.
