Govt to guide 15 panchayats on waste management initiatives

GOA: While activists cried for action against these panchayats and the government delayed in setting up a corporation, Goa’s festering garbage problem became a sore point for tourists and the local populace.
“The creation of awareness through about 100 programmes at the panchayat level is bearing fruit and the local bodies have responded positively and the figures (of collection) speak for themselves,” says managing director, Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC), Sanjit Rodrigues.



In North Goa, the Calangute panchayat handed over 13,726 tonnes of waste, followed by Candolim with 7,913 tonnes of waste. But villages like Benaulim and Khola are given credit for their efforts for either segregating the waste or doing better than revenue-rich coastal panchayats.

For a state, which pioneered its segregation at source in Panaji, it has a long way to go. Panchayat leaders and others agree that more sensitisation of villagers and stakeholders is needed. “Our panchayat delivers the most, but as there are many hotels in the area, more than 30% of it is mixed waste,” former Calangute sarpanch, Joseph Sequeira said.

Agrees sarpanch of Calangute village panchayat, Anthony Menezes, “The people’s cooperation is needed and we are slowly increasing door-to-door collection and handing green and blue bags for proper segregation,” he said. In this aspect, Cana-Benaulim panchayat which topped among south Goa panchayats excelled in delivering 70 tonnes of baled waste to GWMC.

Many panchayats hand over their waste to private collectors, who rake in moolah by recycling it. But experts say letting panchayats off the hook will not help the cause.

“The government has to forget politics of public appeasement or sophisticated technology will not help. Effective collection and transportation is needed to bring the waste to the plant’s doorstep,” says K D Sadhale of Nirmal Vishwa, a Pondabased NGO.

GWMC managing director agrees that they have much work to do.

“It is a work in progress and we are preparing a road map for panchayats. We will provide technical expertise to 15 panchayats to create their village waste management plans and hand-hold their steps ahead,” Rodrigues said.