Staff Reporter
Margao
A biomethanation plant of five tonne per day capacity, set up by the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) at the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) market area as a pilot project, is now releasing its waste water into the nearby fields since almost a month.
Cattle, reptiles and many birds that use the water to quench their thirst and beat the summer heat could get badly infected by the waste water.
Many people who noticed this on Wednesday informed the media that they would file a complaint against the civic body with the state biodiversity board, Goa State Pollution Control Board and other government authorities.
“It’s sad that the Margao municipality cannot even run a small waste treatment plant of 5 TPD at the SGPDA retail market area. If this cannot be successfully operated, we wonder how bigger plants at Sonsoddo would run? The MMC should immediately resolve the issue and stop these acts,” demanded Jorsan Borges and his two friends.
They said the sight of dirty water in the low-lying fields drew their attention to the place following which they hunted for the source
of the water.
An employee of the agency working at the biomethanation plant confirmed that the waste water is being released into the fields since the last many days and the vehicles which used to collect the water had not turned up.
The MMC treats its 5 tonnes of wet waste collected from the fish and vegetable markets daily. Reliable sources informed that the plant was not functioning properly for some time due to a technical issue. The source said the issue was, however, resolved.
Pune-based Urja Agency has been awarded a contract to operate the biomethanation plant for
five years.
The plant was inaugurated in November 2021. It was supposed to generate biogas and 450 units of power on a daily basis.
Chairperson of MMC Damodar Shirodkar could not be contacted for his comments on the issue. His critics, however, said that the MMC has failed miserably in handling waste management in Margao and Fatorda areas.