PANJIM: A team of officials from the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSCB) on Monday conducted inspection at the Hindustan Waste Treatment Plant (HWTP) at Saligao, and found that the sludge was stored inside the compound wall of the Hindustan Waste Treatment Plant at Saligao and it spilled over during rains.
GSPCB Chairman Mahesh Patil said, “We carried out an inspection and we found that sludge was stored. They (company) were not releasing it but because of the rains it got diluted and went out as there were some holes in the compound wall. We told them to seal that hole.”
According to Patil, The inspection was carried out the same day when the report was published by
O Heraldo on Saturday, June 8. Now there was no issue as action had been taken.
Member Secretary of GSPCB Dr Shamila Monteiro said, “Inspection has been carried out in the Hindustan Waste Treatment Plant and the report is awaited. I will tell you the details once I receive the report.”
The issue came to light last week after the members of the Saligao Civic and Consumer Cell (SCCC) discovered during a surprise inspection of the Hindustan Waste Treatment Plant (HWTP) that the Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) at the plant was discharging effluents into the environment.
The SCCC members were miffed that the company was discharging sludge when Chief Minister Pramod Sawant warned industries operating without setting up ETPs to handle their waste water will have to shut down. The members prepared a report of their findings and submitted it to the GSPCB.
The Solid Waste Management (SWM) treatment plant at Saligao, was the first integrated SWM facility.
This was set up, operated and expanded by M/s Hindustan Waste Treatment Pvt Ltd with the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) as the managing associate. The capacity was enhanced to 250 ton per day (TDP) in December 2021.
