MAPUSA
The garbage management crisis in Mapusa has reached alarming proportions with waste piling up in nearly every nook and corner of the town.
While the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) has admitted to being overwhelmed by the growing garbage menace, the civic body is not the only one at fault.
Citizens too, through rampant littering and civic apathy, have contributed to the worsening situation.
Despite a reasonably structured door-to-door garbage collection system, many residents continue to dump their waste on roadsides and open spaces.
To compound the issue, people from neighbouring villages are also seen bringing in their garbage and offloading it at open dumping sites in Mapusa.
“The garbage situation has clearly gotten out of hand. We are trying our best, but the problem is multifaceted. We are facing a shortage of staff and many of our daily-wage workers are irregular, which disrupts the entire collection process,” a senior MMC official told The Goan on condition of anonymity.
The situation is further aggravated by the ban on dumping waste at the Assagao plateau, where previously garbage was temporarily stored, segregated and then sent to the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) at Saligao.
Without this facility, the MMC is now forced to retain garbage for longer durations at the black spots, leading to unsightly and unsanitary conditions in the town.
The black spots have become a permanent feature in different areas of the town. These areas are not just eyesores but potential breeding grounds for diseases, raising serious concerns among local health officials.
Earlier this month, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant visited the Mapusa Municipal Council and directed the Goa Waste Management Corporation to provide support to MMC in resolving the waste issue.
However, no concrete action plan has been rolled out so far.
Civic officials blame a lack of public cooperation for the dismal state of affairs.
"Despite repeated awareness drives and penalties, people continue to litter and dump garbage in the open. Civic sense is seriously lacking,” an MMC sanitary inspector said.
As the waste crisis deepens, the people of Mapusa are left waiting “ for action, accountability and a cleaner, healthier town.
