the goan I network
OLD GOA
Santa Cruz village was reeling under garbage crisis, as heaps of garbage was lying all around due to the stoppage of waste collection by the panchayat authorities since the past one week.
The garbage collection was stopped as the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) has stopped accepting waste from Tiswadi panchayats from February 10.
It may be recalled that The Goan had reported that GWMC had, in an email, had asked several panchayats including those from St Cruz constituency to stop sending its waste to the Saligao waste treatment plant.
When The Goan visited Santa Cruz, waste was seen lying near the Mapusa Urban bank, near the Alto Santa Cruz junction, near the bandh junction and several other areas, as the Santa Cruz panchayat does not have garbage treatment plant of its own.
The situation will worsen in the coming days as the villagers have no alternative but to throw waste on the roadsides.
When contacted, St Cruz MLA Tony Fernandes said he has been seized of the situation and trying his level best to find a solution to the problem.
“I have spoken to Levinson Martins and Michael Lobo to allow panchayats from my area to send waste to the Saligao plant, but they have informed me that the plant is receiving more waste than it can handle,” Fernandes said.
The MLA also stated that there is no availability of suitable land in St Cruz constituency where a garbage treatment plant could be set up, which has further worsened the situation.
Chimbel stops waste collection
OLD GOA: The Chimbel panchayat has also stopped its door-to-door garbage collection drive in the village, against the backdrop of refusal of its waste at Saligao waste treatment plant.
The sudden halt to the drive, which began last July, has put the villagers in a quandary as they do not know where to dispose off their garbage. “We have no other option but to throw our garbage on roadsides as we cannot keep the waste for long in our homes,” admitted a villager, who also condemned the panchayat authorities for not informing about the stoppage of garbage collection.
It may be recalled that the Chimbel panchayat had been told by the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) that its waste won’t be accepted at the Saligao waste treatment plant from February 10.
The panchayat authorities informed the garbage management committee that an email has been received by the panchayat from CWMC asking it to stop sending its waste to the treatment plant.
Chimbel Sarpanch Chandrakant Kunkolkar had earlier informed The Goan that North Goa Collector Levinson Martins had convened a meeting of panchayat secretaries from Tiswadi and Ponda talukas which are sending its waste to the Saligao treatment plant and asked them to stop the same.
At a recent Chimbel garbage committee meeting, some sites were identified where composting pits could be set up for treatment of wet waste, but there was no consensus on the same.
Corlim Sarpanch Shiva Naik had also questioned this sudden move by GWMC, which he said, would have a major impact on garbage scenario in the village as it is sending its waste to the Saligao plant. “The only option is to request the GWMC authorities to accept our waste,” he added.
