With tourism halted, Goa’s garbage output down to 40 per cent

TNN | Updated: May 1, 2020, 07:53 IST

Besides shutting down of the tourism industry, it was also the closing of markets that contributed towards garbage reduction

Besides shutting down of the tourism industry, it was also the closing of markets that contributed towards gar...Read More

PANAJI: With tourism activities in the state coming to a standstill due to the lockdown, garbage generation has reduced to around 40%.
When tourism activities were at the peak, the 150-tonne capacity solid waste management facility (SWMF) at Saligao used to receive nearly 200 tonne of wet, dry and garden/tree waste.
Post the lockdown, this has halved, forcing the authorities to look at ways to keep the plant functional.
Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) managing director Levinson Martins told TOI that it has decided to approach neighbouring panchayats for their waste so as to enable continued functioning of the plant.
Prior to the March 22 national lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Saligao plant used to receive waste from around 25 coastal panchayats.
Besides shutting down of the tourism industry, it was also the closing of markets that contributed towards garbage reduction, a senior officer said.
The GWMC has also started collecting waste from along highways and bailing of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) is in full swing.
The officer said that with Karnataka’s cement factories also closed, the state has been unable to send the RDF for incineration and is instead storing it for now.
The government is setting up garbage treatment plants at Bainguinim, Verna and Cacora and has received the environmental clearance for the Bainguinim plant.
The officer said that the GWMC is in the process of finalising the tender document for the Bainguinim plant and, once it is ready, bids will be invited for setting up of the plant. The officer said that the pace of work on the Cacora plant has slowed due to the pandemic.