File photo of wet waste from Margao being transported to the Cacora treatment plant.
MARGAO
The Goa Waste Management Corporation’s (GWMC) decision to stop accepting waste at the Saligao treatment plant is unlikely to affect Margao, which has been sending its wet waste to Cacora for the past three years.
However, the arrangement could be disrupted if the GWMC curtails the quantity of waste accepted at Cacora, highlighting the need for a dedicated treatment facility at Sonsodo.
The GWMC has repeatedly warned the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) over the past two years that it may have to restrict the quantity of wet waste accepted from Sonsodo, as the Cacora plant also handles waste from other sources.
High Court directions
The delay assumes significance in view of the High Court of Bombay at Goa’s directions while disposing of a PIL in 2024. The Advocate General had given an undertaking that the High Powered Coordination Committee (HPCC) would meet and decide on the proposed 15-tonne-per-day (TPD) bio-methanation plant and other waste management issues at Sonsodo.
More than two and a half years later, the proposed plant has yet to materialise. According to the information available, the HPCC has also not met despite the court's directions.
Meanwhile, Sonsodo has witnessed other developments. An urban forest project was initiated there with saplings planted across a significant portion of the waste management site. Earlier this year, a 10-TPD gasification plant, set up at a cost of Rs 7.5 crore to treat wet and sanitary waste, was also commissioned at the site. During its commissioning, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and PWD Minister Digambar Kamat promised a dedicated wet waste plant at Sonsodo.
However, the MMC continues to spend over Rs 1 crore annually on transporting Margao’s wet waste to Cacora.
Interim arrangement
The GWMC has reiterated that sending Margao’s wet waste to Cacora is only an interim arrangement and cannot be a permanent solution until the MMC establishes its own treatment facility. In a letter dated June 23, 2026, GWMC director Harish Adconkar urged the MMC chief officer to prioritise the proposed bio-methanation facility in line with the High Court’s directions.
Unless the MMC and the government act on their long-pending commitment, Margao could face difficulties if Cacora’s capacity constraints force the GWMC to reduce the quantity of waste it accepts.
