Even as reports indicating that people testing positive for coronavirus are opting for home isolation in the commercial capital, a solution has eluded the Margao Municipal Council over the disposal of COVID bio-medical waste generated in the city from the homes of the COVID positive patients.
After the pick-up van-laden with bio-medical waste returned from the Goa Medical College, Bambolim after finding the incinerator was not functioning, the vehicle has now been shifted to the Sonsodo site as a stop-gap arrangement till a solution is found to the disposal of bio-medical waste.
Sources in the know informed that a party has evinced keen interest in the disposal of the bio-medical waste at the shed taken on lease at the Margao industrial estate. However, the civic body is yet to receive a formal proposal from the party till date, leaving the civic body to station the bio-medical waste-laden vehicle at Sonsodo as a precautionary measure.
Margao Municipal Chairperson Pooja Naik told The Goan that the party has approached the MMC to grant permission to hand over the shed at the Margao industrial estate for the purpose of storing the bio-medical waste till its disposal. The party claimed that he has been referred to the civic body by the district administration to find out ways and means to dispose of the increasing amount of COVID bio-medical waste.
“We have decided to write a letter to the district Collector, South expressing the MMC’s willingness to hand over the shed to the district authorities. Let the authorities take a decision how to go about in the disposal of the bio-medical waste,” Pooja said.
She pointed out that the pick-up van-laden with COVID bio-medical waste is presently stationed at the Sonsodo waste dumping site, saying instructions have been given to the workers to ensure that the waste is covered as per the procedure.
The MMC has already put in place an eight-member squad to collect COVID bio-medical waste from the households where positive patients have opted for home isolation.
