VRISHANK MAHATME
vrishank@herald-goa.com
Where does Panjim city’s garbage go? That’s the big unanswered question and the biggest challenge before the Capital city is of treating its garbage in the absence of Bainguinim Solid Waste Management Facility. Despite the government proposing garbage treatment plants, a segregation facility and a dumping ground almost nine years back, a lot still is left to be done
Panjim, on an average generates 47 tonnes of garbage every day, which is dumped at Patto Plaza (two treatment plants) and at various compositing units. According to CCP statistics, a total of 130 compositing units are present across the city. However, the Patto plant behind SBI is currently non-functional with the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) directing the CCP to clear the dump waste.
The current plant at Patto, which has a capacity of three tonnes, currently handles more than 8 tonnes while the dry waste is taken to the animal shelter (St Inez) for treatment but what about the remaining waste, where does it go?, the CCP has no answers. When contacted the CCP Mayor Surendra Furtado refused to comment on the issue of where the garbage goes. “I do not want to comment on this issue of garbage,” said Furtado.
“All the 30 wards, which come under the CCP, are divided into seven zones for garbage collection wards 9 and 10 (which are the Mayor and his wife’s wards) respectively are indentified as two separate zones and the rest 28 are divided in the remaining five zones,” sources said.
In the meantime, locals have alleged that garbage is not collected regularly and then after some days the garbage is collected and then is just strewn somewhere in open spaces.
Meanwhile, even after three years of awarding the construction of organic waste management facility behind the Heera Petrol Pump, the Capital city remains bereft of a garbage sorting and managing station in Panjim.
The project was initially conceptualised more than a decade back keeping in mind the need for a garbage managing facility for the city. In 2009, Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) acquired land admeasuring 3,600 sq mts for the segregation and treatment facility.
However, the site was entangled into a controversy after the Botanical Society of Goa (BSG) and civil right groups opposed the proposed development, claiming that the facility is in an area marked as a No Development Zone in the Outline Development Plan or ODP 2011. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered a stay on the work in 2014 and subsequently the deadlines for the completion of the work have been revised.
Speaking to Herald, CCP Commissioner, Deepak Desai said, “The average collection of garbage per day is 47 tonnes after which the wet waste is taken at Patto and the dry waste goes to the animal husbandry shelter. Once the new plant at Heera starts it will be an advantage.”
