Organizers
Environment Support Group Trust, Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology and Dalit Sangharsh Samiti
Venue
Government Primary School, Mavallipura, Near Yelahanka, Hesaraghatta Hobli, Bangalore North
About the workshop
Mavallipura, lying in the catchment area of the Arkavathy River and the Tippugondanahalli (Zone 1), has in the past decade experienced severe pollution of water from the Municipal solid waste dumped in two Landfills that have been in operation since early 2000. The unsegregated waste that has reached Mavallipura from the city of Bangalore has been dumped without treating the waste or the effluents that have leached from the mountains of waste lying there. By a rough estimate, more than 40 lakh tonnes of mixed waste are rotting in what was once prime agricultural land, forests and grazing pastures, contaminating the water, soil, and air.
Repeated analysis have revealed that the water of the wells and lakes of Mavallipura are contaminated with heavy metals, nitrates, fluorides and a variety of other pollutants beyond all permissible standards. These toxic pollutants can cause a variety of infectious and other terminal diseases over a period time, risking the life and livelihoods of the communities in the region. The region has also witnessed loss of many human lives to infectious and other diseases.
In this regard, the workshop will aim to raise awareness among the affected communities on the kinds of possible pollutants in the water, soil and air and the impacts on human and animal health over a period of time, the legal provisions to safe guard the area from further pollution and how community participation can help in addressing the challenges and bring practical solutions to access clean drinking water for all, including that flowing in River Arkavathi.
Contact details
Shashikala Iyer
Phone: 080-26713559/60
Email: shashi@esgindia.org