After a long time, Margao Municipal Council (MMC) has put all its resources and attention in handling the old dump and simultaneously making sure that the problems of the daily waste is also catered to. The MMC is one step away from having its own bio-methanation plants in at least two locations in Margao. As per the administration, the MMC has received approvals for the bio-methanation plants. Three plants will be installed in SGPDA wholesale and retail market areas. By installing two plants in the retail market and one in the wholesale market, the MMC is planning to reduce the load of garbage going to the Sonsoddo plant by 15 tonnes.
The Administration also plans to have another bio-methanation facility in the railway station areas. The idea of having the plants at the source of the garbage is part of the overall decentralisation of treatment of garbage which is a universal standard. All these years, the MMC spent lakhs of rupees for labour force, transportation, vehicles and miscellaneous expenses to take the garbage to the Sonsoddo plant. With no proper treatment facility, the garbage ultimately got dumped inside the plant, settled and then dumped into the Sonsoddo dump. This was an environmental hazard in the making, which exploded into a major disaster in the month of May in 2019. The fire that started on to the Sonsoddo dump raged for at least a month and drained the MMC and administration for lakhs of rupees, which was collected with lots of difficulty from the taxpayers. The effects of the fire still continue as the MMC has been asked to pay Rs 1.2 crore as penalty for that pollution.
While the MMC has learnt its lessons the hard way, the fire also triggered a quick reaction and process to do away with the dump of Sonsoddo. After the bio-remediation started at Sonsoddo, the arsenal of five machines have been working overtime and this has allowed the remediation and screening of at least 45 thousand metric tonnes of garbage from the Sonsoddo garbage hill. This is a race against time for the MMC and the rather novice but the determined Chairperson of MMC Pooja Naik is on to the task.
“There are five machines working day in day out and the MMC is monitoring the progress on a daily basis. We have retained the old staff of Fomento Green to make sure the plant is running” she said.
The MMC Administration was taken by surprise after having realised that the garbage on the plant bed is more than what was being told. The Municipality at its own cost has removed over 100 truckloads of garbage and added that it is five times more that remains to be carted away. This new garbage is being fed to the remediation plants to be screened and sent for filling land. Earlier some of this graded inert, which is safer for landfills has been used to fill land on the sides of the nallah opposite the SGPDA. New lands are being looked at for dumping more of these inerts, one of which is the land opposite the public swimming pool. The said land is filled and capped with a thick layer of mud to make sure that there’s no stench emanating from the land. Coming to the handling of dry waste, MMC has a game plan to handle it all at source. The MMC now has eight baling machines at various locations in Margao. These machines are taking the dry waste and baling them at the spot, which is reducing the waste reaching to the plant and also helping save the labour and transport expenses of the MMC.
The Chief Officer of MMC, Ajit Panchwadkar said, “Every bailing machine is capable of handling three and a half tonnes waste per day, which sums up to more than the dry waste that is generated in the MMC areas. With the decentralisation of dry waste and the handling of wet waste at the source with the bio-methanation machines – the garbage going to the plant will be negligible. We will succeed in removing the Sonsoddo dump and also make sure that another dump isn’t created again.”
He further added that they are constantly clearing the black spots in MMC areas. He also complained that despite all their efforts, the garbage coming from the villages continues to plague MMC and creating a nuisance for the public.
On a larger note, it can be observed the garbage issue has always been an issue that the MMC has found tough to deal with, over the years.
In another two months, it will be the first anniversary of the Sonsoddo fire, which was followed by small and medium sized fires throughout the year.
In another two months, it will be the first anniversary of the Sonsoddo fire, which was followed by small and medium-sized fires throughout the year. In the next two months, before the rains come pouring in, the MMC will have to sustain and double its efforts to remediate, decentralise and treat the garbage of Margao, which is increasing as always. Waste Management Minister Michael Lobo had made a statement that 70% of the waste will be remediated by June 15
With over 2 lakh 40 thousand tonnes (approx) of waste done in three months the task has just begun for all the line departments.
Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai added that he is completely supporting the remediation process of the MMC but is worried about the day-to-day garbage.
“I am personally monitoring the filling of inert and I have extended full support to the Waste Management Corporation to do so in the designated areas. “Remediation has to happen but the day to day garbage has to be treated, which needs a plant,” said Vijai. He also said that the plants in SGPDA and markets would be enough only to treat garbage from black spots but a bigger facility would be required for the waste of the city.
It may be recalled that MMC has been saddled with the Sonsoddo dump issue since 1998. Initially an NGO was given the work for segregating the waste at Sonsoddo. Later on a proper company was given the task. Later on in the year 2012, Fomento constructed the plant and started operations, which never actually took off. No one till date has been able to solve the Sonsoddo and the garbage problem of Margao.
Much of the problem lies in the un-assessed premises, which are still not paying for the garbage they are generating and the MMC is picking it for free. MMC in 2015 added Garbage/Sanitation fees in the House Tax of residential and commercial premises respectively. While the assessed premises were forced to bear the brunt, the thousands of un-assessed premises were left without having to pay any charges and till date are not paying anything.
All this and the penalties have summed up to crores of rupees being spent by MMC on Garbage disposal. The MMC has paid Rs. 1.75 crores to Fomento Green for the claimed garbage treatment and has already released several payments earlier. Now the MMC also faces a fine for the pollution from the fire at Sonsoddo.
“The Council treasury has been let to bleed at Rs. 1 lakh per day since August 10 2019, which has led the Council to pay Fomento 1.75 crore till today for the treatment of the segregated wet waste. And the most astonishing fact is that after spending 1.75 crores for waste treatment, there has been no yield of a single kilogram of compost which the MMC had all right to ask for” said Savio Coutinho of Shadow Council and a former MMC chairperson.
The term of MMC ends in late 2020 and the mood of the people will surely be seen in the election over the Sonsoddo and Garbage imbroglio.
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Quotes
There are five machines working day in day out and the MMC is monitoring the progress on a daily basis. We have retained the old staff of Fomento Green to make sure the plant is running
– Pooja Naik, Margao Municipal Council Chairperson
Every bailing machine is capable of handling three and a half tonnes waste per day, which sums up to more than the dry waste that is generated in the MMC areas. With the decentralisation of dry waste and the handling of wet waste at the source with the bio-methanation machines – the garbage going to the plant will be negligible. We will succeed in removing the Sonsoddo dump and also make sure that another dump isn’t created again
– Ajit Panchwadkar, MMC Chief Officer
I am personally monitoring the filling of inert and I have extended full support to the Waste Management Corporation to do so in the designated areas. Remediation has to happen but the day to day garbage has to be treated, which needs a plant. The plants in SGPDA and markets would be enough only to treat garbage from black spots but a bigger facility would be required for the waste of the city
– Vijai Sardesai, Fatorda MLA
The Council treasury has been let to bleed at Rs. 1 lakh per day since August 10 2019, which has led the Council to pay Fomento 1.75 crore till today for the treatment of the segregated wet waste. And the most astonishing fact is that after spending 1.75 crores for waste treatment, there has been no yield of a single kilogram of compost which the MMC had all right to ask for
– Savio Coutinho, former MMC chairperson
