The amount of garbage produced in the city had come down by 17% in May with the closing of eateries, restaurants, food streets, markets and industries during the second Covid wave.
P Vishwanath, Chief Engineer, Solid Waste Management, revealed that the city generated 4,000-4,200 tonnes of garbage on a daily basis prior to the lockdown.
With the imposition of the lockdown in May, the amount of waste generated dipped to 3,000-3,500 tonnes every day until the second week of June.
Sarfaraz Khan, BBMP’s joint commissioner for SWM, said garbage generation during the second lockdown was not significantly different from the first one imposed in 2020.
“There was a considerable change in the garbage generation last year when the lockdown was imposed during the first Covid wave,” Khan said.
“Garbage collection (last year) dropped by 20-30%. This year’s dip was marginal.”
Though BBMP officials claimed that the collection of wet and dry waste reduced considerably, the number of blackspots is proliferating. Residents said garbage left uncollected by the BBMP is piling up on the streets.
Jayanagar resident Harish Somayaji said two blackspots exist in his neighbourhood and the garbage mound is only growing. “This has happened during the lockdown,” he said.
“Two blackspots in East End and Jayadeva Hospital have become favourite dumping spots for residents in the area. All kinds of waste, including meat waste, have been dumped here resulting in a perpetual foul odour.
"To make matters worse, the garbage gets scattered all over the street during the rain. This can pose a serious threat to health,” Somayaji added.
Published 27 June 2021, 20:48 IST