New tech coming, but Margao waste crisis far from over

The remediated Sonsodo dump, where the government has spent crores, but Margao’s waste treatment solution still remains incomplete.

MARGAO
Sonsodo will finally see the installation of a waste treatment facility — a 10-tonne gasification plant aimed at tackling mixed waste generated in Goa’s commercial capital. The project, estimated to cost Rs 7.5 crore, marks a long-awaited step towards improving the city’s solid waste management.
However, the new plant is not expected to offer an overnight solution for Margao’s ongoing garbage crisis. While the initiative by the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) may help eliminate garbage black spots in the city, it will only address a fraction of the total waste generated daily — especially doing little to solve the critical issue of wet waste management.
Consider this: Currently, Margao produces approximately 35 tonnes of wet waste per day, most of which is transported to the Cacora Waste Treatment Plant. This transportation alone costs the MMC over Rs 1 crore annually.
Unfortunately, the proposed gasification technology, developed by a Pune-based start-up, is not ideally suited for treating high-moisture waste. Although the 10-tonne plant is technically capable of handling mixed waste, officials who recently visited a similar plant in Pune admit that the technology is more effective on dry or low-moisture materials.
The good news is that the gasification plant may become a reality within the next three months. Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) Director Sanjeev Joglekar said the Pune-based agency has already commenced work on the fabrication of the plant for installation at Sonsodo. “We have not only issued the order to the Pune-based agency, but the agency has started fabrication work. We have told the agency to set up the plant at the earliest,” Joglekar added.
Margao municipal officials also exuded confidence about commissioning the gasification plant before year-end. “If everything goes well, we may even inaugurate the plant on Goa Liberation Day,” informed an official.
While the installation of a gasification plant at Sonsodo marks a step forward, the real challenge — treating Margao’s 35 tonnes of daily wet waste — remains largely unaddressed. The defunct bio-methanation plant could offer short-term relief if revived, but only political will and administrative urgency can deliver a lasting solution.
With the High Court directives still pending implementation and no clear timeline for the 15-tonne bio-methanation plant, Margao’s garbage woes are far from over.
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No urgency to address wet waste treatment
Meanwhile, the MMC appears slow to act on the High Court’s directive to set up a 15-tonne bio-methanation plant at Sonsodo. In March 2024, the Court, while disposing of a PIL filed by Citizens for Sonsodo, had directed the High Powered Coordination Committee (HPCC) — headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant — to take swift action.
The Court expected the HPCC to guide both the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) and the MMC in implementing the plant, as well as making operational the defunct 5TPD bio-methanation plant at the SGPDA market. The MMC was also directed to file a status report by July 5, 2024.
The High Court had made the observations after the Advocate General made a statement that the HPCC would meet and take a decision on the issue of setting up the 15-tonne bio-methanation plant and on the question of making the 5TPD bio-methanation plant at the SGPDA market operational.
To date, that report remains unsubmitted — primarily because the Chief Minister-led HPCC has yet to meet. This delay raises a serious question: Is the MMC deliberately stalling the establishment of a wet waste treatment plant, or is it content to continue the expensive practice of transporting wet waste to Cacora?
The GWMC had recently sent a reminder to the MMC regarding the urgent need for a wet waste treatment plant, but with no result so far.
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Bio-methanation plant remains defunct
The city’s only facility for wet waste treatment — the 5TPD bio-methanation plant at the SGPDA market — has remained shut for over a year. Its operations were halted in August 2024 following the expiry of a six-month deadline set by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB).
The GSPCB ordered the plant’s closure for two main reasons: allegations that untreated effluents were being discharged into nearby fields, and the expiry of its consent-to-operate order. The plant was meant to be shut down after a six-month window, which expired in August last year.
An MMC official now claims that the plant could be revived, particularly as the SGPDA market is now connected to the underground sewage network. “The issue was never about the plant’s capability to treat wet waste — it was the untreated slurry discharge. Now that the market is connected to the sewage line, the plant can be reconnected to properly dispose of leachate,” the official explained.