Thousands of tonnes of hazardous chemical waste from the Cuncolim Industrial Estate (CIE) has been dumped in the town for at least a decade. Waste which belongs to the abandoned industry, Sunrise Zinc has created a heavy loss to land, water, nature and the health of Cuncolkaars.
Wells and rivers are now contaminated from the waste seeping into the water bodies. Additionally, land and ground water is also getting infected because of the leachate of chemical waste seeping in. The former Chief Minister and current Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar promised locals that the government would shift the hazardous waste but five years later, the waste is untouched.
The government was to shift this waste to Dharbondora, but due to opposition from the locals, it went in vain. The government also though about sending the waste to Tamil Nadu for scientific treatment, but that too didn’t materialize. The GSPCB recently called a Japanese scientist to find a solution to the issue. The man suggested a biotech approach to test the waste. The plan was to add bacteria to the waste which would lower the chemical content. However, this proposal too, never saw the light of day.
For the last fifteen years, this issue has been troubling locals who have revolted, gone to court to seek an intervention and pleaded with the government, but to no avail.
The GSPCB instructed the company that owned Sunrise Zinc to cover the waste with a polythene cover. However, this was only a temporary solution. The board also filed an FIR against the owner for negligence. No one knows what the status of that case is.
Cuncolim has been identified as one of the most contaminated industrial estates in the country. The government was supposed to spend a lot of money to control pollution by creating infrastructure with the help of the World Bank, but no one knows where the proposal has reached.
To add fuel to the fire, the present BJP government has permitted fish mills and meals at the CIE, adding more pollution to the town. The stench from the fish meal plant makes life miserable for residents. Cuncolkaars now want all polluting units at CIE to shut down operation so as to be able to breathe fresh air.
