File photo of vehicles transporting waste from the Sonsodo waste management facility to the Cacora plant for treatment. The MMC has already spent over Rs one crore on waste transportation to the Cacora plant till date.
MARGAO
Three years after the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) began transporting wet waste from Margao to the Cacora Solid Waste Management Facility (SWMF) as an interim arrangement, the Corporation has warned the civic body that Cacora’s capacity is under pressure, even as the commercial capital is still without a dedicated solid waste treatment plant at Sonsodo to process the nearly 30 tonnes of wet waste generated daily.
With no concrete signs of a full-fledged waste treatment facility taking shape at Sonsodo, the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) faces mounting pressure to expedite the project, particularly in view of the High Court of Bombay at Goa’s directions and the growing demand on treatment capacity at Cacora.
GWMC officials have indicated that the Corporation’s recent decision to temporarily stop accepting wet waste from panchayat bodies in North Goa at the Saligao plant should serve as a wake-up call for the MMC to prioritise the establishment of its own treatment facility.
The Corporation has consistently maintained that transporting Margao’s wet waste to Cacora was only a temporary arrangement. With the facility now receiving additional quantities of wet waste from other sources, GWMC has cautioned that the quantity of waste accepted from Margao will have to be curtailed in the future since the facility was primarily established to treat wet waste generated in the talukas of Sanguem, Quepem and Canacona, as well as Dharbandora.
The warning was reiterated in June 2026, when GWMC Managing Director Harish Adconkar wrote to the MMC Chief Officer, drawing attention to the High Court’s order dated March 12, 2024, directing the civic body to establish a 15-tonne-per-day (TPD) bio-methanation plant at Sonsodo.
Adconkar also referred to the High Court’s order dated August 30, 2023, directing GWMC to transport 20 TPD of wet waste to Cacora SWMF. Accordingly, the Corporation commenced the collection and transportation of wet waste from the Sonsodo site to Cacora with effect from September 1, 2023.
Explaining the circumstances behind the arrangement, Adconkar stated that adequate treatment capacity was available at Cacora when the transportation began, enabling GWMC to transport the entire quantity of wet waste generated by the MMC.
However, the situation has since changed, with Cacora receiving additional quantities of wet waste from other sources. Consequently, the quantity of wet waste transported from Margao will have to be curtailed, he cautioned.
MMC yet to act on GWMC’s May 2025 reminder
This is not the first time GWMC has urged the MMC to establish a dedicated wet waste treatment facility at Sonsodo.
In a letter dated May 20, 2025, the Corporation had reminded the MMC Chief Officer that transporting Margao’s wet waste to Cacora was merely an interim arrangement and would continue only until the civic body established its own treatment facility.
With that communication apparently failing to elicit the desired action, GWMC has once again called upon the MMC to initiate the necessary steps to establish a bio-methanation plant at Sonsodo on priority, in compliance with the directions of the High Court of Bombay at Goa.
GWMC’s Rs 17.06 cr proposal for 15-TPD bio-methanation plant
The June 2026 communication also recalled the steps taken by GWMC towards setting up the proposed facility.
On August 18, 2023, the Corporation had floated an Expression of Interest (EOI) for establishing a 15-TPD bio-methanation plant, along with five years of operation and maintenance, to treat biodegradable waste.
The lowest quotation received for the project was approximately Rs 17.06 crore (Rs 17,06,40,000).
Subsequently, through a letter dated October 13, 2023, GWMC requested the MMC to obtain the requisite administrative and financial approvals for the project. A reminder was issued on January 31, 2024. However, the Corporation did not receive any confirmation from the municipal council.
With the interim arrangement now in its third year and Cacora’s treatment capacity coming under increasing pressure, the absence of a dedicated facility at Sonsodo has emerged as a pressing concern for Margao’s waste management system.
GWMC’s latest communication has once again put the onus on the MMC to move beyond reminders and approvals and take concrete steps towards establishing the bio-methanation plant, rather than continue to depend on an arrangement that was never intended to be permanent.
