MARGAO
With waste treatment at Sonsodo going haywire and the process to tender the bio-methanation plants expected to consume time, a stop-gap arrangement of shifting a waste treatment plant from Saligao to Sonsodo has been mooted in consultation with Waste Management Minister Michael Lobo to stop further deterioration of the situation.
After discussing with the Waste Management Minister, Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai announced on Friday that the waste treatment plant from Saligao would be shifted to Sonsodo by December 19, saying the move will help liberate Sonsodo of the stink on Goa Liberation Day.
That’s not all. Sardesai said the bio-remediation process at the Sonsodo legacy dump will also resume from December 19 after he issued instructions to the contractor to immediately mobilise the remediation machinery so that the work starts from Liberation Day.
Paying a surprise visit to Sonsodo dump site following reports that the waste treatment has almost come to a standstill, Sardesai lambasted the State and municipal administration for the pathetic state of the Sonsodo garbage dump.
After discussing the situation with Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes and the Goa Waste Management Corporation contractor engaged in the remediation of the Sonsodo dump, Sardesai told the media that the bio-remediation of the legacy dump, which was being done by Hindustan Waste Treatment Pvt Ltd (HWTPL) till the last rains, has not commenced. To add to this, he said the 35 tonnes of wet waste generated everyday is not even being touched, let alone treated, and baling of dry waste has also come to a full stop.
“This situation is the worst I have seen over the last 10 years. The size of the dump is the largest I have seen and nobody seems to be worried about the piling of garbage,” he said.
Directing the Chief Officer to take immediate action regarding the baling operations, the Fatorda MLA also spoke to Waste Management Minister Michael Lobo and extracted a commitment from him to start the bio-remediation work and treatment of the daily wet waste by December 19. Lobo assured Sardesai that on December 19 both operations would start. HWTPL’s representative Shri Patil, who was present at the site, was accordingly instructed.
The Fatorda MLA informed that one wet waste treatment plant will be shifted from Saligao to Sonsodo before December 19 to treat the daily intake of 35 tonnes of wet waste. “This would be a temporary arrangement till the new bio-methanation plants are set up, as the tendering process would take some time. ‘But we cannot wait till then’, he said, ‘and that is why I have forced Michael to make this arrangement’”, he added.
Saying this is not an issue that has started during his tenure as MLA, Sardesai claimed, “It is a legacy issue. We are actually clearing the mess made by others before us. In any case, we will solve the issue and I am sure the MMC CO, who is a very proactive government servant, will take all steps necessary to do so. This Liberation Day “ 19th December, the process of the liberation of Sonsodo will begin and I will personally ensure that it is done. We will liberate Sonsodo from both the daily wet waste and the legacy waste.”
