EDITORIAL
Waste treatment plants need stronger governance, not merely bigger capacities
The waste management issue at the Saligao solid waste management plant is in the news again. Foul odour has allegedly been emanating from the plant for the past few days, with residents of Saligao, Calangute and Candolim complaining. This is not a new problem.
A year ago, Saligao MLA Kedar Naik warned that residents of Saligao, Pilerne and Calangute would be forced to stop trucks carrying garbage from other talukas from entering the plant if the authorities did not ensure that the foul odour stopped. When the plant was proposed on the Saligao plateau (which incidentally also houses the Department of Science and Technology), there were apprehensions that the government would not keep its promise that no foul smell would emanate from the plant. Initially, residents also raised concerns that their wells would be polluted and roads littered by overloaded trucks carrying mixed waste. However, based on the assurance given by the then chief minister Manohar Parrikar, the people and the comunidade gave their approval in the larger interest of the state. The plant was inaugurated on May 30, 2016. Soon after, the Goa Waste Management Corporation was formed as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to deal with all waste-related issues, including remediation of dump sites across the state.
Within a few years, the facility came to be overloaded, with its capacity almost trebled from 100 to 250–300 metric tonnes per day, much against people’s wishes. The authorities have failed the people of Saligao. The plant is frequently cited by the state government as a model facility for the rest of the country due to its integrated approach, particularly its ability to convert waste into electricity, biogas and compost. Since its commissioning, several dignitaries from other states have been taken to the plant to view the ‘one-of-its-kind’ project in the country. But who sees the ground reality?
On Wednesday, Calangute MLA Michael Lobo and Calangute sarpanch Joseph Sequeira inspected the plant as complaints of foul odour continued. Lobo expressed concern over the continued dumping of unsegregated waste by civic bodies. Lobo, who was the first minister for waste management, alleged that some civic bodies are treating the Saligao facility as a dumping ground and demanded that the errant municipalities be penalised. What is the job of the monitoring committee that was meant to oversee the plant’s operation? Lobo has called for the immediate reactivation of the panel. His statement has exposed the waste management system.
If the government is unable to manage the affairs of Saligao’s ‘state-of-the-art’ waste facility, how can it expect locals to trust its assurances at the new proposed sites? Undoubtedly, such waste treatment plants are needed, but the government has failed to manage them well. When the Saligao plant was first proposed, the Parrikar government sent a delegation to some European countries to study the facilities there and convince the people. But operating the facility and enforcing the rules for all stakeholders is more important. It has become a habit for ruling politicians to accuse people of opposing ‘development projects’. When the government itself fails to keep its word and mismanages its facilities with scant respect for the locals, how does it expect citizens to support such projects?
If the Saligao plant was meant to treat garbage from the coastal belt and other parts of Bardez, then so should it. Others must get their own facilities. Otherwise, the problem will recur and people will suffer. When the government is earning so much from tourism, why can’t it ensure the long-term sustainability of the Saligao waste treatment plant?
