Nearly 10% fleet of garbage collection tippers fail frequently: BSWML

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. According to civic officials, in most places, tippers operate with only one worker, even though the mandated norm requires two staff members per vehicle.. | Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN Out of the 5,200 waste collection vehicles in the city, nearly 8-10%, or around 500 vehicles, either break down or fail to commence operations due to mechanical issues on a regular basis, according to Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) records, as admitted by its CEO, Karee Gowda. A senior official from South Bengaluru explained that frequent breakdowns are compounded by the reduced waste-carrying capacity of garbage tippers, resulting in incomplete route coverage by the vehicles. “The efficiency of these vehicles has also dropped 60-70% because they are now a decade old. None of them operate at full capacity. This means that one auto tipper has to make two trips to complete what was originally a single task,” said the official. This is one of the reasons behind the unusual waste collection timings. While auto tippers operate between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., several areas — particularly in the southern, eastern, and southeastern parts of the city — continue to witness waste collection until 11 a.m. or even 11:30 a.m. V. Ramprasad, a solid waste management expert, pointed out that even the tenders lack strict norms regarding collection timings, which need to be fixed. According to civic officials, in most places, tippers operate with only one worker, even though the mandated norm requires two staff members per vehicle. This too contributes to delays in collection. Ramesh K.N., Commissioner of the South City Corporation, pointed out that there is also a shortage of auto tippers. Since 2013, the number of tipper vehicles has fluctuated between 5,000 and 5,500. However, the city has expanded significantly since then, and population growth has led to a multifold increase in waste generation. Bengaluru generates 5,500 tonnes of solid waste every day, according to official BSWML data.