The grounding of a plane due to a bird hit on Tuesday and the subsequent tyre burst after emergency brakes were applied by the pilot of the Air India flight AI866 at Dabolim Airport has again brought to the fore the dangers of garbage dumping sites around the vicinity of the airport.
While 171 passengers and crew had a lucky escape due to the pilot’s swift action, the incident has highlighted the growing number of bird hits at Dabolim airport in recent years.
Following a series of bird hits in October 2012, then South Goa collector N D Agrawal had issued an order to the panchayats of Chicalim, Bogmalo-Chicolna, Sancoale and Velsao-Pale, which fall within the restricted 10 km radius of the airport, to clear garbage on a day-to-day basis, to avoid attracting birds and the threat of bird hits on aircraft, failing which a case under Section 133 of CrPC would be filed against the panchayats.
As these panchayats did not have a place to dump the garbage, and since all four villages fell within the 10 km restricted airport area which prohibits garbage dumping sites, they approached the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) to allow them to dump the garbage at the MMC garbage dump site at Headland Sada.
However, this request was turned down as MMC was itself facing garbage problems since the municipal garbage treatment plant was not functioning to its full capacity.
When this proposal failed, then Cortalim MLA and deputy speaker and present Dabolim MLA Mauvin Godinho requested the then Congress-led government to allot these panchayats a plot at Verna Industrial Estate to start a garbage recycling plant.
Despite an assurance by then chief minister Digambar Kamat to allot a plot at Verna Industrial Estate, this plan too went into cold storage.
As the four panchayats were left without a place to dump their garbage, it was only a matter of time before garbage found its way along the roadside.
The worst-affected area is Zuarinagar, where one can find heaps of garbage in front of both gates of the Zuari Agro Chemical Ltd. There is an illegal garbage dumping site where garbage from hotels in Velsao, Cansaulim and Majorda are dumped next to a petrol pump which attracts a large numbers of birds.As the Zuari Nagar area falls along the eastern side, which is landing funnel of the airport, these birds are a constant threat to the planes while landing.
When contacted, Godinho admitted that the recent bird hit on the Air India flight has exposed the danger of dumping garbage along the roadside within the 10 km radius of the airport.
Asked about his proposal for a plot at Verna Industrial Estate to recycle the garbage of the four panchayats, Godinho replied: “I was aware of the dangers faced by flights due to bird hits and due to this I had requested the government to allot a plot at Verna Industrial Estate, which is beyond the 10 km radius of the airport.”
“The four panchayats cannot be blamed as they do not have the place to dump their garbage. Hence, I had requested the government to either allot a plot at Verna Industrial Estate or to allow these panchayats to dump their garbage at the MMC garbage treatment plant at Headland Sada. Else, these panchayats should have been allowed to dump their garbage at the Sonsodo garbage site in Margao,” said Godinho.
“Till date, nothing has materialized. In light of this latest bird strike on the Air India flight, I will personally meet Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and will bring to his notice the dangers of garbage dumps along the roadside within the 10 km radius of the airport,” added Godinho.
