MARGAO: The citizens of Margao have raised serious concerns over pollution caused by the release of waste from the bio-methanation plant at the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) market in Margao. The plant, which was commissioned to generate electricity, has now come under scrutiny.
Savio Coutinho, Convenor of the Shadow Council for Margao (SCM) emphasized that while the plant was intended to address the issue of wet waste treatment, it has inadvertently given rise to another serious problem.
“It has been almost two years since the Bio Methanation plant was commissioned. This waste treatment system was supposed to generate electricity. Unfortunately, while it has solved one problem of wet waste treatment, it has created another serious issue,” Coutinho stated.
According to Coutinho, the liquid byproduct from the treatment process, known as leachate, continues to be released into open fields near the SGPDA market, exacerbating the existing pollution in the area. He also pointed out that such issues arise due to the lack of proper study before the establishment of such plants.
Echoing the concerns raised by the SCM, Felix Dias, a resident of Fatorda, said that vendors dump all kinds of waste, including wet waste, into the open fields near the market. Shockingly, no checks are in place to monitor these activities, which pose significant health risks.
Dias urged health authorities to take this matter seriously.
