Panaji (Goa) The crucial public hearing for the proposed Municipal Solid Waste management Facilities (MSWMF) at Cacora village in Quepem taluka will be held on November 11 by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB).

The public hearing will be the part of its environmental impact assessment (EIA) study, which is mandatory for seeking environmental clearance (EC) for the project.

State government has proposed to establish MSWMF at an existing municipal solid waste (MSW) dumpsite as per MSW Rules 2000. Government has already acquired land and marked as industrial area.

“The environmental public hearing is conducted for ascertaining the concerns of the affected persons who can express their views or seek information or clarifications from the project proponent,” GSPCB member secretary Levinson Martins said.

The project is been facing server opposition from the villagers on the environmental grounds. However, the proposed facility is expected to minimize the negative environmental impacts caused due to indiscriminate dumping of un-segregated MSW in the past 20 years.

The main objective of the project, which is implemented through Department of Science, Technology and Environment is to  process and dispose-off the waste lying haphazardly at the existing MSW dumpsites site and also to cater to the needs of present, as well as future waste generated in the South Goa district.

The existing MSW dumpsite is severely contaminated due to unscientific disposal, thereby posing serious risk to air, soil, surface water, and groundwater resources in and around the existing site.

The plant is of capacity of 100 tons per day (TPD) which includes Recycle & Sorting, Segregation, Bio-methanation and In-vessel Composting.