Wet waste: temporary treatment unit for Panaji within 20 days

Panaji: The Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) will set up an extension unit near Heera petrol pump in Panaji within the next 15-20 days to treat 25 tonne of wet garbage from Panaji and Taleigao. Until then, wet garbage trucks from Panaji and Taleigao will be accepted at the Saligao waste treatment plant.

Calangute MLA Michael Lobo said this while addressing the media after an emergency meeting held on Tuesday between the management of GWMC, city Mayor Uday Madkaikar, Panaji MLA Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate and Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) councillors. The meet was held to find a solution to the garbage issue, which had cropped up following the refusal by the Saligao facility to accept wet garbage trucks from Panaji and Taleigao.

Lobo said that setting up of the extension unit is a temporary arrangement to facilitate the CCP and Taleigao village panchayat to treat only wet garbage and not the dry waste. He said that CCP has good arrangement for dry waste.

The Saligao waste treatment plant, operated by Hindustan Waste Treatment Pvt Ltd, has additional wet waste treatment machinery for expansion which will be set up near the Heera petrol pump on a temporary basis to treat only 25 tonne of waste generated by CCP and Taleigao village panchayat.

Lobo further said that till this temporary facility gets ready, the Saligao solid waste treatment plant will keep accepting only 10 tonne of wet waste from Panaji and the Taleigao village panchayat.

“This is the best solution till the Baiguinim waste management plant gets ready on which a public hearing for five panchayats is scheduled to be held on July 27 at the Old Goa panchayat hall,” he said adding that a proposal will be sent to the Environment Ministry for environmental clearance to the Bainguinim facility following which a tender will be floated.

Stating that Baiguinim facility is the need of the hour, Lobo said that the waste treatment plant at the site will be ready within 20 months. He expects the plant to be fully functional in two years’ time from the day the state government gets clearance from the Environmental Ministry.

“We are satisfied that the problem is solved. Once public hearing is over, the process to start Baiguinim plant will begin,” said Babush.