The garbage dump at Sada-Vasco.
VASCO
A sudden administrative thunderbolt from the north has left the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) scrambling to find options to treat nearly 20 tonnes of waste for almost a month.
Citing major maintenance requirements, the Solid Waste Management Facility at Saligao has slammed its doors shut for a massive 25-day maintenance shutdown, leaving the port town with zero access to the centralised treatment at Saligao.
To make matters worse, the backup option—the Cacora solid waste treatment plant—has also reportedly slammed its gates shut too, pleading maximum capacity.
When the email from GWMC landed on MMC Chief Officer Siddhivinayak Naik’s desk on October 12, it triggered an administrative scramble. MMC was suddenly left with tonnes of daily wet waste and nowhere to send it. Without a moment to lose, civic leadership had to pivot inward, dusting off rustic technology and bracing for public backlash.
Naik laid bare the grim situation confronting the council.
“The MMC jurisdiction generates around 18 to 20 metric tonnes of wet waste on a daily basis which used to go to the Saligao plant. Around 2 metric tonnes of chicken and wheat waste is tackled separately, leaving us with roughly 18 metric tonnes of wet waste coming straight from homes,” said Naik.
As a first measure, the MMC also wrote back to the GWMC demanding that if Saligao is closed, alternative state facilities like Cacora must accept their load.
With the Saligao plant locked out, Naik revealed that MMC immediately deployed windrow technology into service to handle composting at their Sada facility.
But here is the catch: windrow composting is a notoriously slow, natural, earth-bound process that requires constant manual or mechanical turning of the garbage heaps. And every time those heaps are disturbed, they release a knockout punch of foul odour.
“Naturally, people and residents have to bear the smell,” Naik admitted candidly, refusing to sugarcoat the reality.
“Though they may be inconvenienced, we have to be blunt on the consequences of this sudden issue of closure. The garbage will have to be piled, and we must evaluate what residue is formed for our next steps. If Cacora does not accept our garbage, we will have to continue disposal via windrows and hope Saligao normalises soon.”
Recognising that a wall of rotting waste sitting in Sada would turn Vasco into an uninhabitable gas chamber, MMC has ordered emergency supplies of specialised odour-suppressing chemicals.
“We usually use chemicals on wet waste to reduce the foul smell during the turning process. These chemicals are widely used, especially during events in nearby areas or VVIP movements to ensure less foul smell. We need to procure them on an immediate basis, but we have to complete codal formalities first,” explained Naik.
Naik reassured citizens that once the chemicals arrive and are deployed, the stench will plummet by at least 50 percent.
The MMC and its residents will be waiting with bated breath for the Saligao facility to limp back to normalcy.
