MARGAO
The Sonsodo Waste Management plant was back in the news on Tuesday after smoke emanated from the shed after an early morning fire inside the shed saturated with waste.
The Margao fire brigade said the fire is suspected to have occurred due to the formation of methane gas inside the imposing shed, since the site is almost saturated by piled up wet waste.
As smoke emanated inside the shed on Tuesday morning, the Margao fire brigade rushed to the site to bring the fire and smoke under control. It took over three and half hours for the fire brigade to cap the smoke and fire in a firefighting operation that started shortly around 7 am.
Around 21,000 litres of water was used to bring the smoke and fire under control. Two fire tenders each with a water carrying capacity of 4,500 litres and a 12,000 litre capacity bowser were deployed in the firefighting operation.
Fire officer Gill D’Sa informed that the Margao fire tender rushed to Sonsodo after receiving information that smoke was emanating from the waste management shed. “The MMC engineers called the fire brigade at around 7 am stating that fire has engulfed the Sonsodo plant. After reaching the shed, the firemen immediately started the operations. The smoke soon spread across the shed and we had to call for additional reinforcements. Since we had used two fire tenders, we requisitioned the 12,000 litre capacity bowser to bring the fire and smoke under control,” he said.
Gill said the MMC was told to deploy an excavator inside the shed so that the water percolates right to the bottom of the shed. “The waste dumped inside the shed is all wet, but which has turned dry now. We had told the MMC to keep the wet waste wet to rule out the possibility of formation of methane gas inside. The firemen are now engaged in the operation to make the waste wet in order to remove the methane gas out,” he added.
This is not the first time that Gill and his team of fire fighters were called to cap the fire and smoke billowing out of the Sonsodo waste management shed. And, the reason is simple. The Sonsodo waste management shed, which was set up a little over a decade ago, to treat the daily wet waste generated in the commercial capital, has now acquired the notoriety of being converted into a garbage storage shed. For, daily wet waste generated in the city is being unloaded inside the shed without any means of treatment, as a result of which waste has piled up inside, which has now forced the civic body to now transport the daily wet waste to the Saligao waste treatment plant.
With the daily waste dumped inside the shed now piled up into a mound over the last several months for want of treatment, fire officials say the situation has now resulted in the formation of methane gas inside, giving rise to periodic fires and smoke.
Firefighting mechanism in place, but no power supply
MARGAO: The early Tuesday fire incident at the Sonsodo waste management shed has once again exposed the absence of firefighting mechanism at the waste management shed.
Questions are being raised in Municipal circles why the Municipality did not use its mechanism to handle the smoke emanating from the waste management shed if there was no fire as claimed by the civic chief Damu Shirodkar.
Margao Fire Officer Gill D’Sa pointed out that though a water tank and a pump is installed at the site, the system was not put to use reportedly for want of power supply. “The MMC officials have claimed that the pump has been repaired and is in running condition, but there is no power supply. Hence, it is not working,” he said, adding that the system is not in working condition.
Gill said one would come to know the efficacy of the pump if it is switched on, but has hastened to add that it is found corroded.
