MARGAO: The nationwide lockdown to fight COVID-19 has stalled the bio-remediation process at Margao Municipal Council’s (MMC) old dump at Sonsoddo. Now, there is every possibility of the inert material stacked at the dump after months of remediation of flowing onto the roads if the situation persists even during the monsoon.
It may be recalled that after several years, the MMC had managed to screen the waste at the Sonsoddo at least five times in a bid to clear the garbage stacked at the site for decades. The dump with at least 2.4 lakh tonnes of waste was taken up for remediation by the Hindustan Waste Treatment company. The company had managed to screen at least 45,000 tonnes of waste.
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MMC Chief Officer Ajit Panchwadkar informed that the low-powered machines had been remediating the garbage inside the plant earlier. And when MMC took over the plant it became a necessity to clear the waste.
However, the curfew has stalled the work with MMC losing valuable time.
Meanwhile, Fatorda MLA and former Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai said, “The remediation process at Sonsoddo could begin with necessary precautions. There is no much-needed manpower for the same. However, I would still maintain that we should wait till the lockdown period “.
Vijai reminded that the inert material that was generated at the dump was used to prepare the hockey turf near the indoor stadium and two more days of work would have completed the work.
He said that the civil works of houses and other structures must be allowed so that people don’t lose precious time and money.
Meanwhile, the MMC in a bid to protect its labourers has urged the public to generate less garbage. The civic body has also asked the residents that it will pick up dry garbage only once a week.
