The forum drew attention to the uncleared garbage in the city, and sought that the authorities address it to conserve the environment.
| Photo Credit: M.A. SRIRAM
A citizens’ group here has brought to the notice of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) major environmental issues that need immediate intervention from the authorities.
Uncleared garbage in the city, poor handling of solid and plastic waste, a faulty underground drainage (UGD) system with overflowing sewage, and unchecked vehicular emissions are some of the issues identified as critical that need to be addressed to arrest the degrading environment and conserve the city’s air and water quality.
The Mysuru Grahakara Parishat (MGP), a citizens’ forum, has highlighted these issues to the KSPCB chairman and MLA, Mr. Narendra Swamy and pointed out at city’s overflowing drains and untreated wastewater reaching water bodies.
Bhamy V. Shenoy and Dayananda Sagar, the founding president and convenor of MGP, respectively, said that the near collapse of Mysuru’s sewage system has not drawn the attention of the elected leaders.
The MGP also raised the issue of the faulty plug sluice at the Kukkarahalli Lake, which was causing the deterioration of water quality due to the eutrophication process. In Hebbal Lake, a misalignment of the inlet for treated water resulted in algae growth and a fish kill, it added.
The KSPCB was urged to ensure that sanitary and biomedical wastes are sent to a common biomedical waste processing facility, while e-wastes should also be disposed of similarly at e-waste processing facilities.
While appreciating the progress made by the MCC in household waste segregation, the MGP called for the imposition of fines for non-segregation. Regarding plastic waste, MGP observed that enforcement drives have not been effective in eliminating single-use plastics and recommended the establishment of a dedicated task force involving stakeholders and NGOs. It also suggested shutting down manufacturers, curbing imports, and sending collected plastic waste to cement industries for safe disposal.
MGP called for joint enforcement by the Regional Transport Office, police and KSPCB to penalise polluting vehicles, disconnect banned horns and act against service centres issuing false certificates.
The MGP elaborated on the concerns to point out that vehicles plying without meeting emission standards, while there was no check on noise from high-decibel horns.
Published – September 07, 2025 07:13 pm IST