MARGAO
Villagers of Loutolim and surrounding areas of Verna, Nagoa and Nuvem on Thursday called on the Managing Director of Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) and handed over a memorandum demanding the scrapping of the solid waste management project proposed at the Verna-Loutolim Industrial Estate.
The GWMC Managing Director, Levinson Martins held a powerpoint presentation for the villagers, wherein the delegation was explained the salient features of the proposed 250 tonnes garbage treatment plant. The GWMC MD had also arranged a visit of the villagers to the Saligao waste treatment plant.
While Martins informed that he has tried to dispel fears raised by the villagers on the pollution aspects, saying the plant will take care of the environmental issues, the villagers pointed out that the garbage treatment plant in their vicinity will not only cause nuisance to the human habitation, but will pollute the river Sal, originating from Verna.
Waging a battle with the government to stop the plant from coming up on the Loutolim plateau on the IDC land admeasuring one lakh square metres, the villagers have lamented that the government is still going ahead with the proposed plant inspite of the strong objections already filed with the concerned authorities by the village panchayats and the citizens of Nuvem constituency and surrounding villages.
The villagers said the people stand by the National Green Tribunal’s directive ordering decentralisation of waste management in every village. “The proposed centralised system of an Integrated Solid Waste Management Plant is not required and moreover in a eco sensitive zone which threatens and will have devastating and irreversible impact on the ecology, agro pisciculture complexes, ground water and sources of River Sal and tributary of River Zuari,” the memorandum stated.
They added: “The destruction and further contamination of the River Sal will be in complete contravention of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan being promoted by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The aim of this movement is to conserve and improve water table levels throughout India by water harvesting, protecting catchment areas, cleaning of existing rivers, fresh water springs and ponds.
Right now, they said the plateau has been over exploited by the existence and expansion of unscientific industrial estate which has interfered with the bio-diversity and ecological balance in the region that has created loss of habitat, wildlife and birds and other species which have created a man-animal conflict. “The groundwater contamination is affecting the villagers, the aquatic life, scheduled species and migratory birds in the surrounding areas,” they added.
A villager, Arvind informed that the outgoing Waste Management Minister Michael Lobo had given a categorical assurance to the villagers of Nuvem constituency that the government will not go ahead with the waste treatment plant on the Loutolim plateau.
