Joint inspection held as authorities assess ground reality to finalise action plan
A portion of the hazardous waste dump lie exposed at the Cuncolim IDC. Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao along with GWMC officials and local citizens inspect the dump on Tuesday.
MARGAO
As the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) is gearing up to kick-start an unprecedented operation to cart away thousands of hazardous zinc waste from the Cuncolim Industrial Estate next month, a joint inspection of the dump was held on Tuesday to assess the ground reality and put an action plan in place.
Leader of Opposition, Yuri Alemao, who represents Cuncolim in the Goa Legislative Assembly along with senior officials of the Goa Waste Management Corporation, including General Manager Digvijai Desai, besides other authorities took stock of the situation at the dumpsite on Tuesday.
The GWMC general manager explained the Leader of Opposition about the tentative plan drawn by the GWMC to cart away the hazardous waste from the Cuncolim IDC to the Pissurlem hazardous landfill site.
During the inspection, the LoP and the officials factored the ensuing monsoons and how the same would affect the work of transportation of the hazardous waste to Pissurlem.
Alemao later told the media that through persistent efforts, the government has been compelled to begin lifting the hazardous waste lying at the Cuncolim Industrial Estate. “Today, along with officials from the Goa Waste Management Corporation and other authorities, we inspected the site and directed them to restore the area to its original state by removing all hazardous waste,” he said.
Saying the work is scheduled to commence shortly, Alemao said the presence of this waste had been contributing significantly to pollution in Cuncolim, and its removal will greatly reduce the environmental burden on the community.
To a question, the Opposition leader pointed out that transportation of the hazardous waste dump will be suspended just before the onset of monsoons to facilitate covering of the dump site with tarpaulin sheets. “The exercise will resume after the monsoons, around October and the work will go on till the dump is cleared of the hazardous waste,” he added.
