PANJIM: Former Atomic Energy Commission of India Chairman Dr Anil Kakodkar on Wednesday stressed the importance of people’s participation in achieving a zero-waste country and advocated for a shift in the public mindset towards waste management and segregation.
Speaking at a three-day conference organised by the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) at the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), Saligao, Dr Kakodkar said, “This of course requires technology, scientific understanding, administrative and legislative push but this cannot happen without participation of people.”
Dr Kakodkar expressed concern that sometimes it is the direction of the courts, which pushes the authorities to take action.
“Sometimes we work under the direction of the courts rather than by ourselves. This is the story which repeats everywhere. Coming from Mumbai, I know. Every time we see in the news some kind of court observation and suddenly something happens. Half for the good cause and half may be just to address the court order and the problem persists,” he said.
Stating that any waste management fundamentally requires attention to waste at source, he said, “We must make sure that the bio-degradable part of the waste must be minimised and segregated right at the source. Otherwise there is huge health management burden on the society.”
Dr Kakodkar said, “It’s a question of processes at the level of citizens, local bodies and the government by the way of creating legislations and taking actions. In this context, the role of decentralised management is extremely important. It is the responsibility of the producer as far as biodegradable waste is concerned and we are the producers. I think the responsibility must be fixed.”
“We need to make sure that the old habits of not wasting food are inculcated and the same is practiced at all levels. While it is a governance problem but it is also a social problem, bringing the whole community to take collective responsibility,” he said.
Goa with its state-of-the-art solid waste management facility at Saligao, which has achieved a recycling rate of around 30 per cent is the best example for other States in the context of waste management, Dr Kakodkar said, adding, after tackling garbage, developing an efficient sewage management system for Goa is an urgent necessity.
In his inaugural address, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced the upcoming collaboration between the GWMC, Goa Institution of Management and the Goa Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (GIPARD) to establish a Waste Management Institution. Emphasizing the importance of waste management awareness and segregation starting at home, he lauded the realization of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Swacch Bharat.
Waste management Minister Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre former scientist Dr Sharad Kale also spoke. Earlier, GWMC managing director Levinson Martins welcomed the gathering and Goa State Biodiversity Management managing director Pradip Sarmokadam proposed a vote of thanks.
