People’s concerns need to be addressed for efficient collection and disposal of waste
The solid waste management issue at Saligao has cropped up again. Kedar Naik, the MLA of the Saligao constituency where the solid waste management facility functions, has warned that residents of Saligao, Pilerne, and Calangute would be forced to stop trucks carrying garbage from other talukas from entering the Saligao garbage plant if the authorities do not stop the foul odour emanating from the treatment plant within the next 10 days.
Locals are furious as a foul smell is emanating from the plant situated on the Saligao-Calangute plateau. Two days ago, it was so unbearable that the MLA, along with representatives of the Saligao and Pilerne panchayats, met the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) authorities to voice their protest. They warned that the plant should not be treated as a dumping ground for the entire state’s garbage.
When the plant was proposed in Saligao, there were apprehensions and concerns mainly by the local residents of Saligao and parts of Calangute and Pilerne. Going by the operation and maintenance of government facilities, the residents were right in raising issues of foul smell, overloading of capacity, fears of contamination of the water table, etc. However, based on the assurance given by then chief minister Manohar Parrikar, the people, in the larger interest of the state, gave the go-ahead. The plant was inaugurated on May 30, 2016.
Within a few years, there was overload at the facility, and the capacity has almost doubled from 150 to 250–300 tonnes per day. The local MLA said on Tuesday that the residents of Saligao, Pilerne, and Calangute had given consent for the plant on the assurance that garbage from coastal and nearby areas would be treated at this plant. The capacity of the plant, he said, was increased to 300 tonnes to treat garbage from Bardez and coastal areas and not from other parts of the state of Goa.
The plant is frequently cited by the government as a model facility for its integrated approach to waste management, particularly its ability to convert waste into electricity, biogas, and compost. Since its commissioning, several dignitaries from other states have visited it and praised the Goa government for the initiative. This was expected, as the propaganda machinery has done a fantastic job over the last decade. The ground reality is not so rosy. On and off, there have been issues. For South Goa, we have a 100 MTPD plant in Cacora, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 6, 2024. A similar plant is proposed at Bainguinim for Panaji and neighbouring areas.
As far as the ‘state-of-the-art’ waste facility at Saligao is concerned, efforts should be made to ensure that it is not overloaded. If it was meant to treat garbage from the coastal belt and other parts of Bardez, then it should be so. Others should have their own facility. The government spends crores of rupees on tourism promotion, and here we are unable to manage our garbage. There has to be a review of solid waste management at the village, town, and state levels. There are reports of garbage being transported in half-open trucks in some parts of the state. Mapusa town had a major issue disposing of its waste, and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had to intervene. The black spots have to be cleared. Why can’t a regular review be taken, followed by necessary action, instead of making people suffer?
