A month after its inauguration with much fanfare, the gasification-based waste treatment plant at Sonsoddo in Margao is functioning without any operational issues. However, the garbage black spots that have long marred the city's roads remain stubbornly in place, showing no visible improvement yet.
Plant Operations and Capacity
The 10 TPD (tonne per day) facility, inaugurated by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on April 23, is currently processing 10 tonnes of dry mixed waste daily through two gasifiers. Each gasification cycle takes approximately eight hours. A useful byproduct of this process is fly ash, which can be converted into bricks, offering an avenue for resource recovery.
Officials from the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) confirmed that the plant has been working smoothly so far. Over time, it is expected to address nearly 90% of the city's dry waste problem by enabling bulk processing at a single location, potentially eliminating the garbage black spots that have long been a civic eyesore. However, the impact on the ground remains invisible for now. "It's too early to say that black spots have been reduced since the plant started functioning," an official acknowledged.
Current Waste Flow and Future Scaling
MMC officials noted that only a portion of the total dry waste generated in Margao currently reaches Sonsoddo for treatment. The council has indicated that a decision on scaling up the plant's capacity will be taken only after the pilot's efficiency is conclusively demonstrated. The plant's smooth functioning cannot paper over the unresolved questions it has thrown up.
When the Rs 7.5-crore facility, which includes five years of operations and maintenance costs, was commissioned, it immediately drew criticism from multiple quarters. Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai described the gasification technology as "an advanced form of incineration" that is ill-suited to Margao's waste profile. Activist Roque Mascarenhas of Citizens for Sonsoddo pointed out that over 50% of Margao's waste is biodegradable, which is beyond the reach of this plant entirely.
More pointedly, a March 2024 order of the Bombay High Court had specifically directed the installation of a 15-TPD biomethanation plant at the site. The current gasification plant, therefore, does not fully comply with the court's directive.
Incomplete Puzzle
"With Margao generating 35-40 TPD of wet waste, all of which continues to travel to the Cacora treatment plant, the Sonsoddo facility remains, for now, one piece of a much larger, still-incomplete puzzle," an observer remarked. The wet waste problem remains unaddressed by the new plant, highlighting the need for a comprehensive waste management strategy for the city.
