MMC’s garbage plant releasing leachate into sea

VASCO: Believe it or not but the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) owned garbage treatment plant located on the headland Sada hilltop is contributing towards the pollution in the Arabian se. A large amount of leachate has started flowing directly into the sea with the onset of the monsoon.

Surprisingly, the council has no clue that likewise in the past, the black liquid (leachate) has started flowing from mountains of garbage into the sea. They had made no arrangements to stop the menace which is a violation of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. Instead the workers present at the plant have made all arrangements (making channel for water to flow) for the black liquid to flow down into the sea along with the garbage.

“This is very serious issue as leachate water is poisonous and toxic in nature and polluting the marine environment is a crime. By releasing such polluted water, MMC has been clearly violating norms laid down by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB),” said Vasco based Environment Activist Advocate Savio J F Correia 

“This issue has become an annual affair as with rain water a large amount of untreated leachate is been released from the MMC’s garbage plant into the sea and there is no one to monitor such violations. This is a matter for MMC and GSPCB to look into and they should ensure that such thing should not happen. Also this is happening just on the onset of monsoon and what would be situation once the monsoon aggravates,” he further said.

As per GSPCB norms, leachate discharged from the dumping site should be collected and treated before it is released. Untreated leachate is a violation of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.  

Shocked to hear about this MMC Chief Officer Deepali Naik said, “This would be the mischief played by the people presently managing the affairs of the plant. We have connection to the sewerage system and we had instructed the people present at the plant to ensure that such leachate should be released into the sewage pipeline connected to the plant. I don’t know why the same has been released into the sea, but I will surely inquire and stop the menace. This is very bad and I will summon people handling the plant and will see to it, that the same is stopped immediately.”