Unseasonal showers hamper bioremediation of Sonsoddo’s hillock of legacy garbage

Team Herald

MARGAO: With the deadline given by the High Court fast approaching, the bio-remediation work of the legacy dump at Sonsoddo is yet to start in its full capacity, hampered by the unseasonal rainfall the taluka has experienced recently. 

It has been revealed that due to the rains, the single machine engaged in remediation of waste is unable to function to its full capacity.  

It is pertinent to note that the High Court, upon the petition filed by Citizens for Sonsoddo, had directed the Goa Waste Management Corporation and Margao Municipal Corporation to take necessary action so that the legacy waste is cleared by February 2023. The High Court had also asked the authorities to prepare a plan in order to remediate the legacy waste.  

Damodar Shirodkar, MMC chairperson, told Herald that the GWMC had re-started the remediation work a few days ago.  

“GWMC will start the remediation in full capacity,” he said, adding that other procedures to ensure proper disposal of waste at the dump yard were already initiated. 

An engineer of the civic body told Herald that the bio-remediation work was halted for a few days due to the unseasonal showers.    

“It is difficult to carry out the remediation of the dump in the rains and the machine is unable to tackle the waste which got wet. They will only be able to start the work to its full capacity during dry weather,” he said.   

Presently, the Sonsoddo dump yard struggles to process the tons of waste generated on a daily basis, leading to more trouble for the civic body.  

Officials further said that the cement factory at Karnataka has stopped accepting the refuse derived fuel (RDF) from Sonsoddo, which is all now accumulated at the dump yard.  

“Earlier, we used to send a minimum of four trucks of RDF to the cement factory, but now all of it is lying at the site, despite carrying out the baling of the waste in full capacity,” said the engineer. He said that the removal of the waste from the old waste treatment plant is in process, but the RDF and inert was getting accumulated at the Sonsoddo dump yard.  

Sources informed Herald that the RDF collected at the site has turned into another hill, and even the shed meant for the bioremediation work is now full of RDF.