Bengaluru: In Kambipura, on the city's southwestern edge near Kumbalgodu, residents say mornings often begin not with fresh air but with the smell of burning waste and thick black smoke drifting into homes. What was once seen as a quieter, greener fringe of the city is now, according to residents, facing chronic pollution. Complaints have now reached the Central Pollution Control Board and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, with citizens submitting a petition on April 21 backed by air quality data which, they say, shows repeated spikes in particulate pollution.
According to residents, Air Quality Index monitors installed in the neighbourhood have recorded sharp surges in PM2.5 levels (over 175 µg/m³), particularly during late-night hours. The worst, they said, was the AQI of 488 on April 23 around 1am. Many claim the smoke intensifies between 1am and 3am, waking families to ash-laden air and forcing some to shut windows, use air purifiers and rely on inhalers.
Residents' Accounts
Gunjan Zutshi, a resident of GoodEarth Malhar, said the issue has persisted for years despite repeated complaints. 'I have been living here for the past four years, but the situation has remained the same. The panchayat says garbage collection exists, but it is not sufficient,' she said.
Residents say the problem is not limited to stray waste burning but may involve industrial activity as well. Amrit Pandurangi, who has lived in the area for seven years, alleged some factories sort recyclable waste and burn the remainder, including rubber and plastic. 'Earlier, this used to happen once a week, but now it is happening every day,' he said, adding that residents installed AQI monitors around eight months ago to document the problem.
Anand Chakravarthi, president of the GoodEarth Patterns Owners Association, said residents have spent six years filing representations and staging protests seeking action. 'We have now submitted a petition to the pollution control board and are hoping for a more effective response,' he said.
Panchayat Denial
Kumbalgodu panchayat officials, however, denied there was a garbage burning problem in the area. A senior official said the panchayat currently has two garbage collection trucks serving the entire jurisdiction and two more vehicles would be added soon after government approval.
Not Just in One Locality
But Kambipura is not the only neighbourhood raising alarm. Residents of Rampura, near Bidarahalli in east Bengaluru, have also alleged prolonged exposure to smoke from waste burning at a nearby plastic shredding unit. People living in the area claim non-recyclable waste, including thermocol and medical refuse, is routinely burnt.
A resident of Prestige Augusta Golf Village said the issue has persisted for over five years. 'Thick black smoke enters our homes at night, making it hard to breathe, and many children have developed asthma,' the resident alleged, adding that people had earlier petitioned authorities but backed off after threats. The resident also recounted a recent fire that allegedly spread after routine burning escalated.
Broader Concern
The complaints from Kambipura and Rampura point to a broader concern in Bengaluru's expanding outskirts, where rapid growth has outpaced civic systems and residents say environmental oversight remains weak.
