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The Goa State Urban Development Agency’s (GSUDA) multi-crore tender to tackle Sonsodo’s existing waste dump yard will be finally openedin three days. Questions, however, remain whether the Margao Municipal Council is equipped to deal with and dispose of rejects generated at Sonsodo. Guilherme Almeida discovers MMC finds itself in the dump
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Three days from now, GSUDA may shortlist the contractor to execute the ambitious project to segregate thousands of tons of waste lying dumped at the Sonsodo site. The project, mooted by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), envisages segregation of existing waste with the avowed objective of preserving the site in question for future re-use. But, questions are doing the rounds in the corridors of MMC whether the civic body will be in a position to handle rejects generated by waste segregation. Otherwise, consider this: GSUDA has insisted that no fresh waste shall be dumped once the site is handed over to the contractor for disposal of the existing waste.
But, it’s an open secret that waste rejects from the treatment plant presently finds its way into the existing site for want of a landfill site. It’s not clear how and where the rejects from the waste treatment plant would go as it may take six months or more for the MMC landfill site to take shape.
Secondly, GSUDA letter mandates MMC to identify a location in consultation with PWD and GSPCB to dispose of approximately 60 per cent of rejects generated during waste segregation.
On this count, MMC has no land of its own to dispose of 60 per cent rejects and will have to be at the mercy of PWD to identify sites for dumping.
That’s not all. GSUDA has cast responsibility on MMC to cart away hazardous waste, e-waste, battery waste and biomedical waste (approximately 5 per cent of the total waste). Presently, MMC has no facility to dispose of such waste and questions are being raised how the civic body will take care of the five per cent waste generated during segregation.
Another question that has raised eye brows amongst MMC officials and City Fathers is the handling of 20 per cent of leftover waste, inert and building material waste. GSUDA says this 20 per cent waste should go into a landfill site and has asked the civic body to identify the location details of the landfill site in advance as mandated under MSW Rules 2000.
Even as GSUDA Project Officer, Jadgish S Hosamani has called upon MMC to comply with these aspects for the effective disposal of Sonsodo’s solid waste, the civic body has suddenly found itself in a tight spot. Civic officials in the know said the conditions imposed by GSUDA cannot be achieved overnight, with Chairperson Babita Angle Prabhudessai suggesting a joint meeting with GSUDA and GSPCB to resolve these issues. Says Babita: “All the three agencies, the MMC, GSUDA and GSPCB need to sit and discuss these issues. Just sending letters to each other will not in any way help tackle the existing waste at Sonsodo."
Civic officials say that GSUDA condition that the MMC should find a landfill site for disposal of leftover waste, inert waste and building material waste, which accounts to approximately 20 per cent of the total waste lying at Sonsodo, cannot be achieved at short notice. “Even the MMC landfill site, proposed at Sonsodo to tackle rejects from the waste treatment site, will take six months or more to take shape. We do not know how GSUDA expects MMC to locate a landfill site," remarked the official.
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Treading a cautious path over waste segregation being tendered by Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) at Sonsodo, the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) has decided to issue No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) only after GSUDA holds a power-point presentation on the subject for the councillors, officials and the citizens as well.
MMC Chairperson Babita Angle Prabhudessai told The Goan that she and the councillors would like to know the scientific process involved in the bio-remediation of thousands of tons of solid waste dumped at Sonsodo.
“Unless, GSUDA holds a power point presentation for the benefit of the councillors, officials and citizens, the NOC would not be given to the GSPCB. We are treading cautiously on the Sonsodo issue. We don't want to burn our fingers at a later stage. Things should be well defined at the initial stage itself," Babita said.
