Sudden fire at the Campal garbage site and thick smoke billowing from the area has once again threatened the health of the people in the vicinity. Heaps of garbage piling up at one end of the parade ground was in flames on Sunday morning resulting into heavy smoke till the following day.
One fire tender is stationed at the site to ensure averting probable serious accident.
Experts apprehend the toxic gas and stench emanating from the yard could be a potential threat to human health while it would also lead to alarming level of air pollution in the region.
Suspecting a self-lit fire owing to methane gas generated by the rotting waste, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) is expected to soon inspect the site taking serious cognizance of the latest fire incident.
“It could be a self-lit fire. Being municipal solid waste, it generates methane gas… Our team will inspect the site and prepare a report giving adequate directions to the concerned authorities to avoid recurrence of a similar incident in future,” GSPCB Chairman Jose Manuel Noronha said.
In the last one year, the Board in fact recommended various measures to all the municipal councils and related-authorities in connection with the matter. “They are probably unable to process the segregation of waste and its composting due to lack of space,” he said referring to the dump yard at Campal.
Located in close proximity to a residential colony, government offices including Fire & Emergency Services, educational institute and a hospital; degradation of environment and health harms has been a major cause of concern among the people.
A local youth Kevin Rebello stated that the uncontrolled dumping of garbage is a massive problem since five years.
“After a long struggle, we residents allowed a sorting point here. CCP is doing a responsible job but the sub-contractor appointed to deal with the waste are not,” he said alleging that the overflowing garbage was ‘deliberately’ burnt.
The residents are now demanding stopping the sorting centre. “This is a dump yard. There is no sorting of garbage or anything. The garbage burnt on Sunday was a mixture of all waste,” Diana Nunes, another resident said.
Former deputy Mayor Kabir Pinto Makhija sugested to stop the waste sorting centre and dumping of garbage on the Campal Parade Ground. He said that CCP Mayor Shubham Chodankar should work with the State Government to find an alternate site for disposing the garbage or to use the site behind Heera Petrol Pump. The GSPCB endorses ill-effects of burning plastic as it releases toxic furan and dioxin in the air, affecting the environment and human health. “A mixed waste could lead to such fire if not sorted out and treated with immediate effect…” Noronha said.
The fire department, which is always looked upon as the saviour, has a number of times recommended safety measures to avert fire mishaps but in vain. Recent fire incidents have wasted lakhs of litres of portable water.
“The recommendations are to ensure that one’s health is not at risk and that the portable water, that can be used for domestic and drinking purpose is not wasted. Off late, we have spent lakhs of litres of water to douse fire at this site,” an official said.
In its list of recommendation to local authorities, the fire officials mentioned about installing tin barricades across the entire garbage site, clearing the wild growth like shrubs around the dump yard before it dries up, digging a trench between the garbage dump site and the residential areas to prevent fire spreading to adjoining areas and deploying a security guard to immediately alert in case fire breaks out at the site, etc.
