After a night of intense rainfall in Bengaluru and its suburbs, four truckloads — and still increasing — of household and industrial waste were removed from the Vrishabhavathi stream and its tributary canals. The debris includes industrial packaging, plastics, textile scraps, and other refuse carelessly dumped by locals, ignoring the damage caused downstream.
As the rain swelled the Vrishabhavathi, water surged through the stream on Monday and Tuesday, carrying heaps of garbage downstream towards Bidadi — an industrial suburb about 30 km from Bengaluru. While the stream flowed relatively unobstructed inside the city, the overflow created chaos in and around Bidadi’s industrial areas.
Villages like Chikkakuntanahalli saw huge piles of waste — thermocol, single-use plastics like PET bottles, and leather scraps — dumped near the riverbanks. The stinking garbage mound grew so large it clogged the bridge over Vrishabhavathi, blocking access from Kanakapura Road to the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway.
Frustrated villagers gathered to demand swift removal of the trash. One resident lamented, “Whenever the rivulet floods, Bengaluru’s filth ends up in our village, and it remains for months.” Another voiced concerns over the 35-year-old bridge’s structural health, warning that waterlogged garbage could worsen existing cracks.
Byramangala panchayat deployed a backhoe to clear the debris, pushing it onto adjacent vacant land. Officials assured residents they will clean the area fully once water levels subside — but for now, the waste remains a festering problem.
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