Arambol panchayat attracts penalty for dumping waste in an open pit

PANAJI: The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has decided to take action against the Arambol village panchayat following a complaint from the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) of illegal dumping of the municipal solid waste and other waste by the panchayat in a pit dug up for the purpose.

Dumping of waste in a pit is the oldest and unscientific form of waste treatment. The GSPCB will also enforce ‘polluter pays principle’ against the panchayat and impose fine for disposing solid waste in the open.

During its periodic inspection, the Goa Waste Management Corporation had visited the Arambol panchayat last week and made a series of observations about how the panchayat has been violating environmental norms while disposing the waste that is collected daily in its jurisdiction. As per the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, it has been advised that the biodegradable waste should be processed, treated and disposed of through composting or biomethanation within an entity’s premises as far as possible and the residual waste shall be given to the waste collectors or agency as directed by the local authority.

Interestingly, Arambol panchayat is among the 27 panchayats, which have been authorised to dispose of the waste collected around their jurisdiction to the waste treatment plant at Saligao. However, the Arambol panchayat considers dumping waste in an open pit safer and easier.

Even dumping of municipal waste at a place that is not duly notified as a dump yard is a violation of rules framed under the new rules. The land where the Arambol panchayat dumps its waste is being used by the panchayat to dump the waste in contravention of rules.

The new provisions prescribe that municipal bodies and gram panchayats should identify appropriate sites, procure them, seek approval from the pollution control board and set up a systematic process of managing waste.