the goan I network
MARGAO
The Sunday evening fire incident at Sonsoso has left the landfill site damaged as the flames are believed to have burnt a portion of the floor lining.
That a portion of the landfill site which was seen covered with red mud is an indication that the site was damaged in the fire that engulfed tonnes of dry waste stacked near the landfill site.
Incidentally, the High Court had in one of its recent directions had told the Margao Municipal Council to deposit an amount of Rs one crore to repair the landfill site before it could be put to use for solid waste management.
With Sunday’s fire incident, MMC officials conceded in private that the landfill site has been damaged further, with the civic body covering it with mud to cap the smoke.
In the meantime, MMC officials in the know informed that the fire had reduced to ashes over 100 tonnes of dry waste that was dumped at the site just above the landfill location for want of a full proof baling mechanism.
Civic officials pointed out that while the MMC had been baling around 15 tonnes of dry and plastic waste at Sonsodo with the three baling machines in operation, the backlog of baling waste was to be taken up on a war footing after the fourth baling machine was to be installed shortly.
“We were baling the backlog of dry waste dumped near the landfill site, but only in limited quantities, with priority being accorded to the dry waste generated daily,” officials said.
Meanwhile, while appreciating the hard work of all those involved, including the fire department personnel, in extinguishing the Sonsodo fire in shortest possible time, the Shadow Council for Margao expressed deep anguish over the fact that all the efforts of segregation of dry waste by the citizens of Margao, stand buried under the mud, adding eventually this will result in additional expenditure for bio-remediation.
SCM Convenor Savio Coutinho said the citizens of Margao said precious resources are being spent towards collection of segregated waste, but pointed out that positive results of scientific treatment of waste are far from being achieved.
