The Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has announced plans of three more garbage treatment plants in Goa. He was speaking during his visit to Sonsodo earlier last week. With these three plants the total strength of dedicated GTP’s will go to four plants all over Goa. The Chief Minister has also assured Goans of streamlining the garbage management of the state within two years.

The TCP Minister Vijai Sardessai assisted the CM on his visit to the dump as the work of clearing the Sonsodo garbage mound began. A machine has been brought from the Saligao Treatment plant to Sonsodo to get the 50 year-old dump segregated. The machine began its work on Monday evening and as per the TCP Minister it will be used to screen the mixed garbage from the dump and will segregate it into compost, plastic and inert waste which will go into landfills and construction of roads, etc. “This is a dump of over one lakh tonnes of garbage, which has seen many leaders come and go, and certainly will take time to go,” said Sardesai.

Interacting with the media, he said “We had promised that we would tackle the Sonsodo garbage hill and we have given first priority to this work, as the people of Salcete have been troubled by this dump for the last many years.” Speaking on the schedule and process of the entire work Sardesai said “We are starting it and it is taking around 40 tonnes an hour. There are two hills of garbage here. The hill is more than one lakh tonnes. There is one more hill of fresh garbage dumped. We have a plan to put one more screen below as we have planned to go on war footing to clear the garbage. At the present rate with one machine we will only be able to clear 10,000 tonnes which is not enough to reduce substantially before monsoons,” he said. “We have cleared the political garbage in the elections and the work is as firm as the Government which is working for the Goans,” he quipped. Ganeshan, the consultant for the process, said that “At the rate of 15000 tonnes in a month, and excluding the months of monsoons, we can reduce 70 percent of the dump soon.” He also informed that the Government is entering into an agreement with the ACC cement company to dispatch the plastic waste.

The issue of segregation of waste has been debated for years now. Even after the work on removal of the dump begins, much remains to be worked out on the segregation front. The TCP Minister said “Segregation of waste is another issue and I don’t want to get into what Fomento is doing here. Like the cat dusts mud after defecating, they wanted to cap the area, by which the land wouldn’t have been recovered. Mining of solid waste dumps is a science and we will save 15000 square meters of prime land and it will be a huge profit for the MMC,” he said.

The Minister has also sought strict action against the dumping back of garbage from the Fomento plant into the dump. “The dumping back of garbage into the dump from the Fomento plant has to stop and steps will be taken to seal this side of the dump and put a security person to keep an eye. The hill is increasing and I also feel that much of it is coming here. It will not continue like this and it has to stop,” said Sardesai. The Chief Minister was assisted by the TCP Minister Vijai Sardessai, Chairperson of MMC Babita Angle, Chief Officer and others.

The Chief Minister said “We have identified waste issues and found that there are 25 types of wastes being generated. We have formed a small action group and will meet next week to find a concrete solution to the garbage generation.”

“My target is to solve the problem of garbage across the state in two years, but you will see results in six months,” he said.

The CM added that they are looking into land for the plant at the Verna Industrial estate and will finalise the land by the month end. “The plant at Verna will deal with Margao and Salcete garbage, which will take care of garbage of areas around too.”

Swearing by the technology of the plant at Saligao, Parrikar said that there is no disposing of any waste or byproduct into the land and only 7 percent of the garbage is inert and sent for land fill. “The Plant doesn’t require segregated waste and it is an approved technology. We are planning for a fleet of four plants for solid waste management, one at Saligao which is functional now and next ones to come up in Verna, Bainguinim and Cacoda. The plants will take care of the garbage of these and surrounding areas,” said the Chief Minister.

• Team TNV