THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO
The Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) has finally carted away around 1000-odd tonnes of accumulated waste inside the Sonsodo waste treatment plant for remediation and now
the moot question that remains unanswered is: How will the Margao Municipal Council go about in the treatment of waste at the plant?
This question assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the fact that there’s still no clarity how the civic body, GWMC or the government will go about the treatment of the daily waste generated in the city.
While Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai had come out in favour of containerized bio-methane plants to address the waste problem, the MMC has pushed the ball in the court of GWMC to appoint a contractor to run the windrow method of waste treatment.
On the other hand, the GWMC had declined to take over the Sonsodo waste management operation, but had extended all possible help for the civic body to treat the daily waste either through windrow composting or through other means.
When The Goan called up GWMC Managing Director Levinson Martins to shed light on the issue, he said waste treatment falls in the domain of the civic body, adding that the Corporation will only help and assist the municipality to run the plant.
In fact, Martins informed that the GWMC will depute a senior official to monitor the operation of the Sonsodo plant and to coordinate with the MMC in the treatment of the daily waste. “Upon request from the Margao municipality, the GWMC has carted away the accumulated waste from the Sonsodo plant. This waste will now be remediated by the GWMC appointed contractor and the cost will be borne by the municipality. By clearing the accumulated waste, which was in the region of around 1300-1400 tonnes, the plant has now been rid of the waste,” he said. Incidentally, the MMC had in the recent past urged the GWMC to appoint a contractor to run the
waste treatment plant facility, but the latter had politely declined to do so, only offering to assist the civic body to float an Expression of Interest to rope in a contractor.
In the meantime, the GWMC was scheduled to decide on the question of opting for the bio-methane containerized plants at Sonsodo before the coronavirus threat hit the state. In fact, sources said Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai had travelled to Solapur in Maharashtra to inspect bio-methane plants operating there before the Janata Curfew and the ongoing lockdown came into force last month.
Even as the civic body, the GWMC and the government are still weighing on various options at Sonsodo, sources in the know said the carting away of the waste from the plant will help the civic body manage the garbage problem for the next few months as enough space has been created.
