MONDAY, JULY 08, 2024
AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
SALIGAO: People from Saligao and surrounding villages will have to bear the stink till waste is segregated by all panchayats as vehicles carrying waste are specifically fabricated and the tipping area for the trucks at Hindustan Waste Treatment Plant (HWTP) remain uncovered.
“Stink can be smelt around the village, but it is manageable and something we will have to get used to it till the government decides to act tough on panchayats that are sending waste to the plant without segregation,” said Mario Cordeiro, Secretary of the Saligao Civic and Consumer Cell (SCCC).
After the O Heraldo report, 'Saligao’s Hindustan Waste Treatment Plant found releasing sludge into the open', published on June 8, Siolim MLA Kerdar Naik held a meeting with all stakeholders to get the 25 North Goa panchayats, using the plant, to segregate the wet and dry waste and send them for treatment in vehicles specially fabricated to carry the waste.
There is a report. Please get back tomorrow,” said Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) secretary Shamila Monteiro, when asked to throw light on the inspection report after the OHerlado story.
“Segregating the waste at the Panchayat level should not be a problem but getting vehicles to carry the waste will entail a lot of cost and since these vehicles emit a lot of stink, we will have to bear it,” assumed Cordeiro.
The Director of Panchayats has clearly indicated that Panchayats need to be more responsible.
“Panchayats are aware that the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) has vehicles that they can use. They need to call a designated officer to get their waste picked up. It is not viable to provide financial assistance to (each Panchayat) purchase vehicles,” explained Siddhi Halarnkar, Director of Panchayats.
But the panchayats are not quite speaking the language of segregation; “The Panchayat has two vehicles to carry wet garbage and as we were asked to fit a tank to avoid leachate, the same has been done. Garbage will smell because it is rotten food," believes Mukesh Gadekar, sarpanch of Morjim.
“After segregating our garbage, we requisition for the GWMC vehicle. They send a truck that takes our garbage to the plant and I am not aware if it stinks along the way. Garbage is expected to stink,” is the point of view of Nerul panch Sudesh Govekar.
“We not only segregate our waste but also send it through an arrangement made with a vehicle contractor. Our facility was recently visited by staff of GWMC and they were happy with our work,” said Sandesh Adpadkar, sarpanch of Siolim.
“The foul smell that the villagers of Saligao get is from the vehicles that bring the waste to the plant. Despite having a water sprinkling system for the trucks, the same are not used and the same dirty trucks keep transporting the waste,” reasons Ganesh Kunda Swami, one of the directors of Hindustan Waste Treatment Plant (HWTP).
“The foul smell that the villagers reported in June was because the compost got wet in the rain. That was the compost to be used as fertilizer but could not be carried for use,” explained Swami.
Swami denied the presence of leachate or holes in the walls through which it percolated towards the village – despite providing him with pictures of the same.
“I am not saying all but many panchayats do not properly segregate their waste before sending it,” observed Swami.
“The HWTP management should acknowledge the fact that smell will not be that bad if they themselves use arrester curtains, as used in malls, to stop the smell from the tipping points used by trucks, flowing into the village,” observes Ashley Delaney member of the Garbage Committee and waste management.
“Many panchayats have set up Material Recovery Facility (MRF) to dodge the glare of the Goa Bench of the Mumbai High Court and that explains why waste is being sent without being segregated or properly segregated,” laments Cordeiro.
Panchayats using the GWMC trucks stated that the trucks sent to collect their waste were normal and not specifically designed to collect waste.
One truck carrying waste had broken down at Saligao on Wednesday and the area around had started to stink with leachate seeping out. Ankit Yadhav, MD of the Waste Management Corporation did not respond to calls till the time of going to press.
