PANJIM: The Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) has submitted to the High Court of Bombay at Goa that 65 per cent remediation work at Sonsoddo garbage site is completed as it submitted a voluminous status report to the Court.
Levinson Martins, the managing director of GWMC, in his status report has also highlighted certain difficulties to which the Division Bench of Justice M S Sonak and Justice M S Jawalkar noted, “On perusal of the status report, we appreciate the difficulties expressed.”
The report pointed out that 65 per cent of the works of remediation is already completed and for reasons primarily arising due to the pandemic, there is delay in completion of balanced works.
The report also mentioned that presently the balance waste dump and RDF dump at Sonsoddo is covered with tarpaulin and remediation works will be resumed post monsoons, that is, October, 2021.
Consistent with the aforesaid statement, the High Court directed that all necessary measures be taken to see that the balance waste dump and RDF dump does not cause any additional environmental pollution at the site.
The Bench further directed that the remediation works must now commence post monsoons in October 2021 so much so that the entire work is completed at the earliest. The matter has been adjourned to November 15, 2021 by which date, the GWMC should file further status report confirming that the works of remediation have commenced and the status of such works.
The Margao Municipal Council informed the Court that the medical waste which was stacked at Sonsoddo has already been cleared by the authorised agency and presently there is no such biomedical waste at the site.
The MMC also agreed that the site is for treatment of solid waste and no biomedical waste will be dumped considering that government has made alternate arrangement in this regard.

