Waste Corporation teams to geo-tag chicken centres, salons across State amid rising pollution complaints
MAPUSA
Alarmed by the growing menace of chicken waste and other wet waste being dumped in open spaces, culverts and water bodies across the State, the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) plans to launch a State-wide survey to map chicken stalls and salons in a bid to streamline waste disposal and tighten monitoring mechanisms.
GWMC Managing Director Harish Adconkar said the corporation plans to identify and geo-tag chicken centres and salons across the State to understand how waste generated from these establishments is being handled.
“We are going to map all salons and chicken centres in Goa. This exercise will help us understand why people are dumping waste in the open and where exactly the waste is being sent,” Adconkar said.
“The surveys will also create awareness among business owners regarding proper disposal practices,” he added.
The move comes amid increasing complaints about foul smell, clogged drains and contamination of water bodies caused by indiscriminate dumping of poultry waste, particularly along highways and roadside stretches.
“Chicken stalls are one of the major areas we have identified. During highway waste collection drives, we frequently find chicken waste dumped in open areas and even inside culverts, where it putrefies and creates serious health and environmental hazards,” he said.
Officials said the corporation intends to create a comprehensive database using geo-coordinates and digital mapping tools, enabling authorities to identify dumping hotspots and formulate targeted intervention strategies.
“All this will be mapped through Google Maps and geo-tagging so that we can identify vulnerable locations and understand how this issue needs to be tackled,” Adconkar added.
Apart from poultry waste, GWMC is also turning its attention to waste generated by salons.
According to officials, certain categories of salon waste, including blades and contaminated materials, are required to be disposed of through authorised biomedical waste facilities.
“Salon waste also needs proper tracking. We want to ensure that waste which should go to biomedical treatment centres does not end up in regular garbage streams,” an official from the corporation said.
The survey, which will cover all talukas, will be digitally monitored by GWMC. The corporation is in the process of hiring surveyors who will be deployed across identified areas to collect field-level data.
GWMC officials said the findings of the survey would help the State design a structured waste management strategy, strengthen enforcement and possibly introduce stricter penalties for illegal dumping.
“The entire exercise is aimed at collecting accurate data so that effective strategies can be adopted to stop chicken waste from being dumped in open spaces and water bodies,” Adconkar said.
