MARGAO: Fomento, the concessionaire of the municipal solid waste (MSW)
project under way at Sonsoddo, claimed that the work on the project is
progressing as per the time schedule and that the trial runs will
commence by August-end.

The Margao Municipal Council (MMC) had signed the concession agreement with Fomento
in February 2012 to set up the MSW plant designed to treat 50-70 TPD
(tonnes per day) of garbage on a design, build, own, operate and
transfer (DBOOT) basis for a period of 25 years. The concessionaire is
required to complete the project within 16 months, excluding the monsoon
period.

The MMC is awaiting the detailed project report (DPR) from its consultant
K R Gopalkrishnan for the task of capping the Sonsoddo garbage dump on
scientific lines so as to go ahead with the exercise. The consultancy
team visited the Sonsoddo garbage dumpyard recently and conducted a
contour survey of the site. Data pertaining to the quantity of municipal
solid waste (MSW) that lands up at Sonsoddo was also gathered by the
team. The MMC will invite tenders from contractors for capping the
Sonsoddo garbage dump after receiving the DPR, including design for the
closure, from the consultant.

Sources said that the contractor
who bags the tender for capping will also be required to monitor the
site for a period of at least 15 years and take care of any
eventualities. It normally takes a period of up to five years for the
capped surface to get 0sufficiently stabilized, sources said.

The capping of the Sonsoddo garbage dump was necessitated following
confirmation by the MMC’s consultant for the Sonsoddo garbage treatment
plant, P U Asnani, about the presence of toxic metals in the dump, who
suggested that the dump be capped following specifications of scientific
closure as per the Municipal Solid Waste Rules 2000.

The
exercise envisages levelling and reforming the existing heap of garbage
dump and incorporating environmental mitigation measures including
laying of geo-textiles (impermeable surface cover) to secure the site
against seepage of rainwater and collection of landfill gas
(predominantly methane), leachate collection system, development of a
green belt and landscaping, including a green cover over the dumpsite.