CANACONA: In a week long operation about 120 tonnes equivalent to 12 truckloads of mostly synthetic waste which was lying at the lone garbage treatment plant (GTP) at Dumane since the last couple of years was cleared just before the onset of monsoon.
All of the segregated plastic waste was sent by trucks to Hubli to be disposed off or recycled scientifically.
After the huge dumps of the waste lying at the Dumane were cleared by NGOs like Goenkar, South Goa Community and The Tribe in association of Canacona Municipal Council (CMC) and with expert guidance from environmentalist Clinton Vaz, they held a meeting with council members, chief officer and other stakeholders regarding the steps that should be taken so that the garbage dump doesn’t get piled up again.
Vikas Bhagat, general secretary of a Canacona based NGO, ‘Goenkar’ speaking to this reporter said that if CMC would have kept sorting out the garbage and baling it with our equipment, and keep sending it to disposal the big ugly mess wouldn’t have happened in the first place.
Those present during the presentation were Chief Officer Sagun Velip, Chairwoman Nitu Desai, Deputy Chairman Kishore Shet, other council members, prominent members of the society as well as members of NGOs.
Jack Fernandes, president of Team Goenkar said that they have donated a chain block with a tripod stand to the Dumane GTP and have trained the workers to use it to load heavy bales of waste directly into the trucks which will help is clearing the waste on a daily basis.
It may be recalled that Team Goenkar which is in the forefront when it comes to the garbage issues not only in Canacona but in South Goa too was appreciated by the Directorate of Panchayats and Solid Waste Management Corporation with a certificate in appreciation of the selfless work they have rendered to the society in the last five years.
“In keeping up to our vision and mission, we got the authorities and other concerned NGOs together to clear the Dumane treatment plant, we have contributed both funds and manpower to make GTP spotlessly clean and now it’s up to the CMC to maintain it,” said John Coutinho a member of Goenkar.
