MAPUSA
With the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) temporarily suspending waste acceptance for the next 25 days, the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) has initiated measures to manage the town’s wet and dry waste at its Cunchelim plant, with windrow composting being adopted as a temporary solution for wet waste.
MMC Chief Officer Kaushik Desai said preparations were underway to augment the capacity of the existing facility to ensure that the disruption in waste processing does not inconvenience citizens.
The municipality generates nearly 15 tonnes of wet waste daily, making its scientific disposal a major challenge during the temporary suspension of waste acceptance by GWMC.
Desai said the Cunchelim facility already had a shed where dry waste was baled and that the council was working to enhance the plant’s capacity to handle the additional load.
“Regarding wet waste, most of it is managed through home composting. However, wet waste remains a major challenge. The only immediate solution is windrow composting, which the municipal council will undertake,” he said.
Desai added that the council had begun preparations immediately after receiving the communication from GWMC and was working to put the alternative arrangements in place at the earliest.
Municipal Engineer-II Vishant Naik said the necessary arrangements had been made at the Cunchelim plant, where wet and dry waste would be segregated and treated.
“For the moment, on a temporary basis, the only way out to treat wet waste is through windrow composting. We have made all the necessary arrangements to manage the wet waste for at least a month,” Naik said.
He added that the council expected to commence wet waste composting operations at the Cunchelim facility within a day or two.
The MMC’s contingency measures come after GWMC informed the civic body that it would be unable to accept its waste for 25 days owing to operational and maintenance constraints at the Saligao Solid Waste Management Facility.
The temporary suspension has put the onus on the municipal council to ensure uninterrupted waste management and prevent the accumulation of garbage in Mapusa.
The effectiveness of the alternative arrangements will depend on the council’s ability to handle the daily waste load at Cunchelim until normal disposal arrangements resume.
