Dry waste piled up beside old dump catches fire

MARGAO: The dry waste piled up besides the Fomento Office building at Sonsoddo caught fire on Thursday afternoon resulting in major smoke all day. The incident has triggered fear and anxiety among the people and has revived the memories of the big fire that occurred eight months ago.

The incident occurred after the surveyor sent for the quantification of the dump accidentally touched the vertical scale to the 33 KVA high tension electrical line and got electrocuted. Vaibhav Fakpal, aged 42 got electrocuted in the incident and triggered a fire at the dumped garbage. This garbage was kept on the sides of old dump to be baled. The surveyor has been admitted to the Goa Medical College for further treatment.

The surveyor was reportedly sent by the Hindustan Waste Treatment company for the quantification of the old dump which is supposed to be 

remediated soon.

In the evening the Additional Collector Prasanna Acharya and Chief Officer of MMC Siddhivinayak Naik had arranged for several trucks of mud to smother the fire that was spreading on to the old dump.

Savio Coutinho of Shadow Council said, “In spite of High Court restrictions on dumping waste on the old dump, the accumulated dry waste was shifted on to the old dump which has caught fire. Very recently Shadow Council for Margao (SCM) had pointed out that slow pace of baling and disposal of the dry waste was creating another dry waste mountain. SCM had also warned of the risks of the dry waste catching fire,” said Savio.

Shadow Council asked who will own the responsibility for this negligence and the resultant consequences and expenditures for extinguishing the fire.

Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao, while commenting on the Sonsoddo fire, said “The Chief Officer of Margao Municipal Council has to be sacked. He is the main accused. He has brought the garbage from other place and dumped here and the high tension wire has touched and resulted in the fire. They are least bothered about this. There is a school besides and how long will the kids face this smoke and trouble,” he asked.

Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco said, “I had informed that the garbage has reached to the high tension electric lines. This is total negligence,” said Reginaldo.

The novice Chairperson of MMC Pooja Naik had to face the flak and the questions of the people as the fire raged during the day. She said that the fire would be contained by evening.