New waste mgmt facilities for industrial clusters announced

PANAJI
The State-owned Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) is planning to set up solid waste management systems for two major industrial clusters — Pissurlem and Cuncolim — to enhance infrastructure, attract investment, and improve amenities.
Each cluster will be equipped with a five-tonne-a-day capacity Solid Waste Management Processing Facility (SWMPF), which will be scalable to meet future demands.
The Pissurlem cluster will comprise the industrial estates at Bicholim, Latambarcem, Honda, Pissurlem, and Dharbandora, while the Cuncolim cluster includes the industrial estates of Cuncolim, Kakoda, Margao, Sanguem, Cancona, and Quitol.
To operationalise the initiative, the GIDC will appoint service providers who will manage the facility at both clusters. The service providers will be given a pre-constructed shed for the SWMPF and will have to bear the cost of installing all the necessary machinery, equipment, and tools.
The service provider will also secure the requisite approvals from the Goa State Pollution Control Board, Labour Department, and other relevant authorities.
The service provider will be tasked with collecting waste from all industrial, commercial, and utility establishments within the clusters, excluding hazardous industrial waste. It must ensure source segregation in line with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, identify litter collection points in consultation with GIDC, and install bins with separate compartments for wet and dry waste.
For transportation, the company is required to use covered, compartmentalised, GPS-enabled vehicles to prevent spillage and ensure the safe transit of waste to the SWMPF or other facilities approved by the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC).
A senior official said that waste collected at the facility will be segregated into wet, dry, sanitary, and hazardous categories. Wet waste will be treated through composting, biomethanation, or other approved technologies, while dry waste — both recyclable and non-recyclable — will be disposed of at GWMC-approved sites, with disposal certificates obtained from the respective authorities.
There is, however, no timeline set as yet, but the official said that the technicalities of appointing the service providers are expected to be completed by the GIDC by the end of this year, and work will begin thereafter.