Wasted Efforts on Waste Management
Insufficient infrastructure, weak planning and information systems, and an altogether unorganized and flawed waste management system has become a burgeoning problem for the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) to ensure effective and sustainable management of waste, especially in the event of the tension prevailing at the Sonsoddo landfill. Pushed to the wall by Fomento Green -- the concessionaire of the solid waste management plant, the MMC has once again raised its pitch on segregation at source, putting the onus on the citizens, before making any changes at the institutional level, even as experts opine that segregation at source cannot be achieved without a working waste management policy in place, and unless authorities engage with citizens seeking community participation.
Pressing the need for an organised campaign with the active involvement of ward councillors and civic body officials, Clinton Vaz, an expert in waste management however said that the MMC is not serious about waste management. “MMC has violated the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 which mandate source segregation of waste. The MMC is seen mixing even the segregated garbage handed over to them by concerned citizens. They have been talking about segregation only now after the Sonsoddo fire incident," Vaz said.
It may be noted that SWM Rules 2016 mandate source segregation of waste in order to” channelise the waste to wealth by recovery, reuse and recycle.” As per the rules, waste generators have to segregate waste into three streams; biodegradables, dry and domestic hazardous waste before handing it over to the collector. As per the rules, institutional generators, market associations, event organisers and hotels and restaurants have been directly made responsible for segregation and sorting the waste and manage in partnership with local bodies.
However, the MMC seems to be at sea and lacking will to tackle the garbage menace, even as it is guilty of non-compliance of the rules and gross negligence. Vaz said that strict enforcement of the rules is key. Moreover, many sanitary workers are also not aware of how to deal with source segregation and seem to have received no training. Thus the need to sensitise both sanitation workers and residents -- the two most important elements of garbage collection -- is felt in order to ensure effective collection and disposal. "The municipal workers need to be trained to handle the garbage. People need to be educated to follow the rules," he added.
Community participation and awareness are linked directly to solid waste management problems and encouraging people to participate will increase awareness, input and reception. However, citizens in various wards seemed unaware of the resolve made by the civic body to collect segregated waste nor aware of the proper process in segregating waste. While the MMC claimed to have started educating citizens on segregation through volunteers, residents of Felicinta Complex in Gogol, a ward represented by the MMC chairperson Babita Prabhudesai herself, had no clue about any such campaign. "We have not received any pamphlet nor has any one attended to us on segregation. Residents are ready to segregate but have no idea how to do it. The councillors come to the door steps of people only while seeking votes. They need to engage with people to resolve the crises," Thomas Rodrigues, representing the housing society informed.
Stressing the need for an organised campaign on ground, Borda resident Rashid Sousa suggested, “While I believe that every citizen would be willing to segregate in order to solve the garbage problem, it is important that a full proof system is put in place and certain practical issues be resolved in order to attain success. This requires a multi-pronged approach. One important thing is to encourage composting of wet garbage at the source to reduce the load on the municipal system. The MMC will have to show their intent by real action for people to believe they are serious on waste management initiatives."
While MMC officials claim that 60 percent of waste collected is in segregated form, Dr. Joe D'Souza, a former Goa University faculty and expert on garbage claimed that the civic body has not been disposing of waste appropriately. "The MMC is still dumping mixed waste at the landfill site. It has failed to initiate measures to engage people in segregating waste and done nothing to educate the citizens on managing their own waste so as to reduce the amount taken to landfill. This should have been the priority of the civic body. Lack of engagement is a barrier to waste management," D'Souza who visited Sonsoddo on Monday said.
Prominent citizen and noted activist Jose Maria Miranda believed community participation should be facilitated by the MMC to have a direct bearing on efficient waste management. However, like Vaz, he too felt that the MMC is not serious. "Even if people give segregated waste, MMC does not have proper vehicles to transport the waste. Further the MMC has never bothered to get segregated waste after the new rules came into force in 2016," said Miranda. He further informed that the concession agreement with Fomento Green specifies that unsegregated waste will be taken. "I fail to understand why then, is the MMC succumbing to Fomento,” he questioned. Feeling the need for an awareness campaign, he said, "People need to be educated to segregate waste. It is time people are trained to manage their own waste."
While residents complain of lack of will by the MMC to engage with communities, the MMC sings a different tune. Councillor Avinash Shirodkar said that awareness is created in some wards, though he admitted that there is no sustained campaign by the MMC as claimed. Councillor, Pooja Naik however claimed that the civic body did issue a public notice in early June urging residents to segregate garbage into dry and wet waste at the household level. Moreover, another councillor Dorris Taxeira representing ward 15 felt the need for the council and officials to engage with residents in order to educate the public that "lapses in waste management are directly connected with the incidence of disease." She claimed that pamphlets on segregation awareness are being distributed to residents in her ward. "Educated classes ought to recognise their critical role in the solid waste management chain. Citizens need to behave responsibly and collectively to ensure a clean and healthy environment for themselves," she appealed.
Nevertheless, barriers to solid waste management in the jurisdiction seem multifold— at the social level, there is lack of awareness about segregation of waste; at the economic level, the sector remains unorganised with garbage contractors taking control; and at the environment level, there is unscientific collection and disposal of waste. While the MMC spends public funds to the tune of crores of rupees in the garb of municipal solid waste management, all that it does is follow a flawed system in the absence of an appropriate policy. It is also very evident now that the Class A civic body has done very little to ensure that less waste reaches the landfill in total contradiction to the SWM Rules. For now, the civic body has no alternative than to redraw a long term vision in solid waste management and rework strategies as per the prevailing circumstances. A strong policy for garbage management with focus on processing it, instead of landfilling, seems vital.
Pressing the need for an organised campaign with the active involvement of ward councillors and civic body officials, Clinton Vaz, an expert in waste management however said that the MMC is not serious about waste management. “MMC has violated the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 which mandate source segregation of waste. The MMC is seen mixing even the segregated garbage handed over to them by concerned citizens. They have been talking about segregation only now after the Sonsoddo fire incident," Vaz said.
It may be noted that SWM Rules 2016 mandate source segregation of waste in order to” channelise the waste to wealth by recovery, reuse and recycle.” As per the rules, waste generators have to segregate waste into three streams; biodegradables, dry and domestic hazardous waste before handing it over to the collector. As per the rules, institutional generators, market associations, event organisers and hotels and restaurants have been directly made responsible for segregation and sorting the waste and manage in partnership with local bodies.
However, the MMC seems to be at sea and lacking will to tackle the garbage menace, even as it is guilty of non-compliance of the rules and gross negligence. Vaz said that strict enforcement of the rules is key. Moreover, many sanitary workers are also not aware of how to deal with source segregation and seem to have received no training. Thus the need to sensitise both sanitation workers and residents -- the two most important elements of garbage collection -- is felt in order to ensure effective collection and disposal. "The municipal workers need to be trained to handle the garbage. People need to be educated to follow the rules," he added.
Community participation and awareness are linked directly to solid waste management problems and encouraging people to participate will increase awareness, input and reception. However, citizens in various wards seemed unaware of the resolve made by the civic body to collect segregated waste nor aware of the proper process in segregating waste. While the MMC claimed to have started educating citizens on segregation through volunteers, residents of Felicinta Complex in Gogol, a ward represented by the MMC chairperson Babita Prabhudesai herself, had no clue about any such campaign. "We have not received any pamphlet nor has any one attended to us on segregation. Residents are ready to segregate but have no idea how to do it. The councillors come to the door steps of people only while seeking votes. They need to engage with people to resolve the crises," Thomas Rodrigues, representing the housing society informed.
Stressing the need for an organised campaign on ground, Borda resident Rashid Sousa suggested, “While I believe that every citizen would be willing to segregate in order to solve the garbage problem, it is important that a full proof system is put in place and certain practical issues be resolved in order to attain success. This requires a multi-pronged approach. One important thing is to encourage composting of wet garbage at the source to reduce the load on the municipal system. The MMC will have to show their intent by real action for people to believe they are serious on waste management initiatives."
While MMC officials claim that 60 percent of waste collected is in segregated form, Dr. Joe D'Souza, a former Goa University faculty and expert on garbage claimed that the civic body has not been disposing of waste appropriately. "The MMC is still dumping mixed waste at the landfill site. It has failed to initiate measures to engage people in segregating waste and done nothing to educate the citizens on managing their own waste so as to reduce the amount taken to landfill. This should have been the priority of the civic body. Lack of engagement is a barrier to waste management," D'Souza who visited Sonsoddo on Monday said.
Prominent citizen and noted activist Jose Maria Miranda believed community participation should be facilitated by the MMC to have a direct bearing on efficient waste management. However, like Vaz, he too felt that the MMC is not serious. "Even if people give segregated waste, MMC does not have proper vehicles to transport the waste. Further the MMC has never bothered to get segregated waste after the new rules came into force in 2016," said Miranda. He further informed that the concession agreement with Fomento Green specifies that unsegregated waste will be taken. "I fail to understand why then, is the MMC succumbing to Fomento,” he questioned. Feeling the need for an awareness campaign, he said, "People need to be educated to segregate waste. It is time people are trained to manage their own waste."
While residents complain of lack of will by the MMC to engage with communities, the MMC sings a different tune. Councillor Avinash Shirodkar said that awareness is created in some wards, though he admitted that there is no sustained campaign by the MMC as claimed. Councillor, Pooja Naik however claimed that the civic body did issue a public notice in early June urging residents to segregate garbage into dry and wet waste at the household level. Moreover, another councillor Dorris Taxeira representing ward 15 felt the need for the council and officials to engage with residents in order to educate the public that "lapses in waste management are directly connected with the incidence of disease." She claimed that pamphlets on segregation awareness are being distributed to residents in her ward. "Educated classes ought to recognise their critical role in the solid waste management chain. Citizens need to behave responsibly and collectively to ensure a clean and healthy environment for themselves," she appealed.
Nevertheless, barriers to solid waste management in the jurisdiction seem multifold— at the social level, there is lack of awareness about segregation of waste; at the economic level, the sector remains unorganised with garbage contractors taking control; and at the environment level, there is unscientific collection and disposal of waste. While the MMC spends public funds to the tune of crores of rupees in the garb of municipal solid waste management, all that it does is follow a flawed system in the absence of an appropriate policy. It is also very evident now that the Class A civic body has done very little to ensure that less waste reaches the landfill in total contradiction to the SWM Rules. For now, the civic body has no alternative than to redraw a long term vision in solid waste management and rework strategies as per the prevailing circumstances. A strong policy for garbage management with focus on processing it, instead of landfilling, seems vital.
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