A clean-up drive at Bengaluru’s Turahalli Forest has uncovered large quantities of poultry waste, household garbage, medical waste and dog carcasses wrapped in plastic bags, highlighting the continuing challenge of waste dumping along the city’s green edges.
The four-hour campaign began at 8 am and was organised around the forest in Banashankari Phase 6. It brought together environmentalist Yellappa Reddy, India Plog Run’s Ramakrishna Ganeshan, volunteers, Indian Garage Co, Indus Herbs and the Greater Bengaluru Authority, according to a report by Vijay Karnataka.
The drive also featured Madhya Pradesh environmental activist Surendra Singh Chaudhary, popularly known as Bittu Tabahi. Known for cleaning rivers on his own, the 21-year-old BSc student participated in a clean-up outside his home state for the first time during the Turahalli campaign.
The waste collected or encountered around the forest reportedly included quantities of poultry waste, domestic garbage, plastic bags containing dead dogs and medical waste. The report said the dumping had affected the surroundings of the forest and raised concerns about the disposal of different waste streams in an environmentally sensitive area.
Bittu Tabahi said he had initially expected to find mostly plastic waste. However, while cleaning, he was reportedly shocked to discover the carcasses of dead dogs. He also said the scale of waste along the forest’s roadside edges could not be addressed through manual cleaning alone.
The findings point to a problem that extends beyond the visibility of litter. Poultry waste, household garbage, animal remains and medical waste require different handling and disposal systems. When they are abandoned together at the edge of a forest, the responsibility for removal becomes more difficult to assign and the risk to sanitation and the local environment increases.
Yellappa Reddy, who inaugurated the campaign, said environmental care and cleanliness required greater attention, particularly among younger citizens. He described the condition of Turahalli Forest as disappointing, noting that an area once associated with water catchment for lakes had become a dumping ground. He also said the forest department’s action had at least helped keep the interior of the forest clean.
The campaign was conducted around the forest boundary, while the report separately stated that the forest department’s intervention had helped maintain cleanliness inside the forest. The account did not provide the total quantity of waste removed, details of its final disposal, or information on any penalties or enforcement action against those responsible for dumping.
Bittu Tabahi said he spent Rs 30,000 from his own funds on equipment for his clean-up work. He became known after cleaning the Ajnan River in Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh district, reportedly entering the river despite not knowing how to swim and working without protective equipment.
The Turahalli campaign leaves the next administrative steps with the agencies responsible for the forest boundary and waste management. The report did not specify a follow-up schedule, the disposal process for the medical waste and animal remains, or whether further enforcement drives are planned.
