Team Herald
PANJIM: To protect people living in areas around landfill sites from health hazards, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has directed the State Urban Development Department to notify buffer zones for solid waste processing and disposal facilities treating more than five tonnes per day (TPD) of waste.
In fresh guidelines issued by the Union Government through CPCB, the Department of Urban Development has been asked to notify buffer zones – no development zones – in consultation with the State Pollution Control Board.
“No development zone to be maintained around solid waste processing and disposal facility, exceeding 5 TPD of installed capacity. This will be maintained within total land area allotted for the solid waste processing and disposal facility,” the directions issued last month, state.
The guidelines, titled ‘For Maintaining Buffer Around Waste Processing and Disposal Facilities’, explained that buffer zone also acts as a barrier, absorber and to some extent as remedial measure against fugitive emissions of pollutants.
Composting, vermin-composting, biogas, refuse derived fuel, pelletisation, waste-to-energy measures are some of the ways that are being attempted to deal with huge amount of solid waste disposal.
For now, Goa has only one solid waste management and treatment facility at Saligao, while three others have been proposed – North, South and Centre. There are however, several waste composting units across municipal areas.
The Board pointed out that most of the existing solid waste management facilities are practicing crude dumping of solid waste. “In some cases where solid waste is processed, the situation is still alarming.”
due to use of conventional treatment technologies coupled with poor operation and maintenance by the fund-starved urban local bodies,” it said.
“This situation is giving rise to numerous environmental and public health concerns in and around urban areas,” the Board added.
It said that “Not in My Back Yard (NIMBY) syndrome” and litigation is common as people do not trust urban bodies in providing credible waste management services.
“Disposal of waste in landfills is the least preferred management as it impacts on the surrounding environment. Landfill sites encompass waste processing/disposal facilities, which become sources of pollution in terms of air, water, land and noise pollution besides emitting foul smell. Therefore, provision of buffer zone around these facilities is essentially required to prevent people living in the surrounding from exposure/impacts of such pollutants,” the Board stated.
