MARGAO
A host of questions have surfaced in the light of the NEERI report why successive governments and the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) paid no heed to the concerns and demands made by the people of Cuncolim to shift and dispose of the hazardous waste lying at the Cuncolim IDC since 2007.
Consider this: The 2011 NEERI report has specified that the filter cake generated from the extraction process is stored in the open plot where the secured land fill exists. It is also highlighted that such unscientific storage of hazardous waste material may lead to migration of pollutants and it is necessary to dispose off the waste at a Common Hazardous Waste Treatment Storage and Disposal (CHWTSD)
The 2025 NEERI report makes a clear submission that it can be reckoned that the waste was stored in an unscientific manner for almost a period of 15-16 years.
The question that remains unanswered is why successive governments failed to accord priority for the disposal of the hazardous waste when the 2011 NEERI report had confirmed that the waste is being stored in an open plot and the unscientific storage of hazardous waste may lead to migration of pollutants.
This question assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the fact that people of Cuncolim had been waging a sustained battle against pollution at the Cuncolim Industrial Estate.
