Unbearable stench at Vasco fish market

It is understood that as part of ‘Swachh Goa Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, a massive cleanliness drive will be held in front of the Mormugao municipal building in Vasco on February 26. It has also been decided to make the city of Vasco garbage-free by May 15. It is pertinent to note that in the past, the authorities had set such deadlines to make various cities in the State garbage-free. But then, these have remained just announcements, with garbage being strewn all over the place in the cities. It is nice to see politicians in the country wielding the broom and sweeping the streets. These are just symbolic acts. What is necessary is a follow up by the civic bodies and the panchayats to keep the surroundings clean and green. Collection and scientific treatment of garbage forms an important part of any cleanliness drive. So does proper sanitation. Cleanliness has to be a continuous process. It cannot be just a one-off action. Cleanliness should be a mass movement. The citizens play an important role in the cleanliness drive. Hence, they should be involved by holding seminars on how best to handle the garbage they produce daily. The citizens should consider it their responsibility and duty to keep their surroundings clean. As of now, the general notion is that it is the duty of the civic body to keep the city clean. This attitude of the citizens needs to change. In the port town, it would be more appropriate to start the cleanliness drive from the vegetable market and the fish market – the two places that produce the most amount of garbage. The fish market in Vasco emits an unbearable stench because of the rotting fish waste, which needs to be disposed in a proper manner. A proper enclosure should be built to dump the fish waste before it is collected for disposal, instead of being strewn by the road-side. To make matters worse, there are several eateries and tea shops just across the road where the rotting garbage emits an unbearable stench. This can pose a health problem to the citizens. There are also residential flats in the building near the fish market. It is essential to clean this market on priority. The ‘Swachh Goa, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ movement should be a continuous process if cleanliness in the cities is to be maintained. It should be a part of the everyday activities of the citizens and civic authorities.