Two European plants on garbage junket had nothing to do with any of Goa’s waste management plants
Hunt for garbage to begin after plant technology frozen
Quepem has its own plant, Canacona is getting one or two, so where will the garbage come from
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@heraldCOM
CURCHOREM: Shortly after the garbage junketeers returned home, armed with duty free shopping bags and an outpouring of “likes” for their Facebook pictures from monuments and lakes in Europe, the Science and Technology Department made a presentation to the monitoring committee for waste management headed by Environment Minister Alina Saldanha. She had incidentally and honourably opted out of the trip reposing faith in the technical personnel who were travelling from the Science and Technology Department and the Goa Pollution Control Board.
As the presentation began, Patricia Pinto, one of the members looked at environmentalist Claude Alvares and then remarked to the presenters ‘If you are discussing the Saligao and Cacora (Curchorem) plants, why are these drawings of the Banguinim plant?” Apparently, the subject was quickly changed and the so called presentation continued.
This little incident is a very true reflection of the manner in which waste management technologies are being implemented generally with specific reference to the two new proposed babies- the plants at Saligao and Cacora. We deal with Cacora in this story and promise our readers an investigation into the Saligao plant too.
The technology to be adopted for Cacora and the broad shortlisting of suppliers was pre-decided before the Europe junket was cleared. As one member of civil society and a member of the monitoring committee remarked “We get to know of decisions from newspapers. We meet every four months just to be in the system, otherwise many professionals want to quit.”
It’s clear from Herald’s investigations that even the intended purpose of sending the garbage junketeers to Europe was not met. Director Science and Technology Levinson Martins “order” dated October 25, 2013, a copy of which Herald has, stated “The government has decided that a delegation from the state should visit and observe working of plants operating on similar technologies at Castelceriolo,(Italy), Salzburg(Austria) and Kaiserlautern(Germany)”
What they really saw is best described in an internal email on the visit sent to the chief secretary by one member of the delegation, where he pointed out that in Italy they saw a compost plant, in Innsbruck a dry waste plant and in Kaiserlautern a wet garbage plant with biogas facility. The first two were not plants with “similar technologies”, while the third, though a wet garbage plant functioned in conditions alien to Goa.
The delegate told Herald that the Kaiserlautern plant gets 700 tons daily spread over 88 lakh square meters. But what he wrote next was significant and we quote from the letter
The garbage load of Curchorem is limited to less than 10 tonnes. Quepem has a feed of around seven tonnes, Sanguem has two tonnes and Canacona at around eight tonnes, the total feed for the unit in no situation exceeds 30 tonnes a day. The proposed technology requires minimum 100 tonnes per day to achieve economic viability and the feed is just 30% of the minimum required.
The government is still not transparent on the areas from which feed shall be collected for the GTP proposed at Cacora. The chief minister had informed the residents of Curchorem that the proposed plant is limited to Curchorem and nearby areas. The MLA of Curchorem then further added Canacona garbage too.
But the Quepem town is already using a newly set up garbage treatment and Canacona town is already in the process of setting up their own MSW management plant worth 5 crore. Therefore, I am of the final conclusion that the investment of 100 crore for treating 20 tonnes per day is just not viable and would be a heavy burden”
This mail to Chief Secretary Vijayan dated November 29, 2013 hasn’t even been acknowledged or acted upon. So much for getting feedback on the tour from delegates.
