KATHY PEREIRA
Shoppers at Canacona’s weekly Saturday bazaar are met with the stench of decomposing garbage. With the Dumane Garbage Treatment Plant (DGTP) in Canacona out of order following a fire, Canacona Municipal Council’s (CMC) alternative plan to treat wet garbage at composting units in its backyard has jeopardized the weekly Saturday bazaar.
A large amount of garbage has already been deposited near the composting units behind the Canacona Municipal Council’s administrative building in the past few days.
With the accumulated garbage occupying much of the vacant space, vendors at the weekly bazaar have been forced to push the dumped waste, to make space for themselves and their produce.
Vegetables, including tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, cauliflowers and brinjal, are being sold in close vicinity to the accumulated wet waste, which has been generating an unbearable stench.
Shoppers have been severely critical of the stench from the decomposing garbage and many hasten their purchases to get away from the site as quickly as possible.
Admitting that people have been inconvenienced at the weekly bazaar, Canacona Municipal Council Chairperson Simon Rebello assured this will be resolved once the Dumane plant becomes fully operational.
“Since there is no way out, other than making compost units operational in the vicinity, heaps of wet garbage will have to be accommodated at the available space. The heaps may look more because the composting units are yet to be made operational. But works to do so are underway and the waste will be disposed off later as manure,” Rebello stated.
When reminded about the inconvenience and nuisance to the weekly market goers and vendors alike, Rebello said, “Inconvenience may take place for some days till such time the procedures are completed at the Dumane Garbage Treatment Plant ”
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Non-segregated garbage deposited
CANACONA: While efforts are on by some shack operators to address the garbage woes in Palolem, many shack operators still deposit non-segregated garbage at the collection points.
During a recent 10-day-long cleanliness drive, three private shack operators at Palolem filled hundreds of bags containing garbage from various roads, besides cleaning a garbage infested area across the Devabhaga internal road.
“After segregation, the non-biodegradable waste will be taken to DGTP soon,” said a civic official.
CMC Chairperson Simon Rebello said that CMC had lived up to its promise by collecting garbage from various points, right from 8 am.
The chairperson, however, expressed disappointment that many tourism stakeholders continued to deposit non-segregated garbage.
“Through the Herald, I again appeal to all those concerned to please adhere to proper segregation of garbage at the collecting points,” Rebello said.
During a joint meeting with tourism operators, CMC Chief Officer Sudhin Natu along with Goa State Pollution Control Board officials had requested tourism operators to deposit segregated garbage at collection points.
“Civic workers have been doing their bit, but some people have irresponsibly dumped non-segregated garbage at these collection points, thereby making mockery of our cleanliness drive,” Rebello complained.
