Bid to prevent transit points from turning dumping grounds
In a bid to tackle Goa’s growing garbage menace and curb illegal dumping along roads and highways, the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) is planning to introduce manned waste collection centres across the State, an initiative aimed at preventing transit points from turning into dumping grounds.
GWMC Managing Director Harish Adconkar said the decision follows a successful experiment in Assolna in South Goa, where a manned collection centre was set up to receive segregated waste directly from citizens and establishments.
“The time has come to explore manned collection centres. Our experience shows that if a collection centre is unmanned or merely a transit station, it inevitably becomes a dump. It is unfortunate, but that is the reality,” Adconkar said while addressing a press conference.
He said the only requirement for using these centres is proper segregation of waste. “If waste is segregated and handed over correctly, we will accept it,” he added. GWMC plans to roll out similar manned centres at multiple locations within the next two to three months.
Scientific waste processing in place
Adconkar reiterated that solid waste in Goa is scientifically processed at two treatment plants – Saligao with a capacity of 300 tonnes per day and Cacora with 100 tonnes per day. On average, around 350 tonnes of waste are treated daily, rising to 420 tonnes during peak periods.
“These are among the best waste processing plants in the country,” he said, adding that despite adequate processing capacity and daily lifting, illegal dumping continues to pose a serious challenge.
According to Adconkar, dumping typically occurs during late night or early morning hours, often after cleared spots are restored. Enforcement drives have been conducted at identified black spots, including Tivim, Corlim and Margao, but dumping tends to resume after temporary breaks.
He also highlighted the operation of a common biomedical waste treatment facility at Kundaim, which processes nearly five metric tonnes of biomedical waste daily and serves about 1,700 medical establishments.
“Consent to operate is granted only if the medical facility is linked to this plant,” he said.
Organised dumping major concern
Echoing these concerns, Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) Chairman Levinson Martins (IAS) said the State’s waste management system was designed to address sporadic littering, not “organised dumping”.
“For the last seven to eight years, roads have been cleaned regularly. Yet the quantity of waste dumped keeps increasing. People dump waste on highways simply because they know it will be lifted,” Martins said.
He said nearly 420 km of roads across Goa, including highways and major district roads, are being cleaned. Dry waste is collected from 191 panchayats, 13 municipalities and the Corporation of the City of Panaji, while wet waste is processed at zonal plants in North and South Goa.
Martins said most panchayats are mandated to establish Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) and warned that show-cause notices and action have been initiated against defaulting bodies.
Both officials stressed that while infrastructure exists, public cooperation remains the weakest link, warning that enforcement and penal action against violators will continue as Goa battles persistent roadside dumping.
