MARGAO
The Sonsodo waste treatment plant came back to haunt the Margao Municipal Council as leachate flowed from the shed onto the approach roads leading to the plant, turning the road unmotorable and risky for the Municipal truck drivers.
The reason behind the leachate overflowing from the waste treatment plant is not far to seek. With the civic body not treating the daily waste dumped inside the plant for want of any waste treatment mechanism in place, the situation has paved way for the generated leachate inside the shed. The leachate has overflowed onto the approach roads after the civic body deployed heavy earth moving machinery to push the piled up waste inside the plant to make way for fresh waste.
After the walls of the Sonsodo waste treatment plant collapsed last year and the internal drains choked with waste, The Goan understands that the leachate has started flowing out of the plant since the last couple of days.
Inquiries by The Goan have only revealed that the situation has aggravated at Sonsodo with no treatment of waste carried out at the plant over the last several months. That’s not all. Sources in the know informed that the Municipal technical section had proposed to float a tender amounting to Rs 24 lakh to repair the walls of the waste management shed and to clear the drains in order to channelise the leachate into the tanks.
An official in the know informed that the proposal to float the tender has so far not found favour with the Council for reasons best known to the city fathers. “The proposal to float the tender amounting to Rs 24 lakh was mooted to carry out immediate repairs to the walls and the internal drains of the shed. This would have ensured channelising the leachate into the leachate tank,” sources informed.
The situation at Sonsodo has turned the road heading to the plant dangerous for the Municipal garbage truck drivers. Sources informed that the drivers have complained to the office that driving on the Sonsodo road has turned dangerous with the leachate flowing outside.
“We fear that the garbage trucks may turn turtle as the road has become slippery. We hope and pray that the Council takes a quick decision and stop the leachate from flowing out of the waste management shed,” sources said.
