Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Compliance of Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 (State of Goa) dated 10/04/2019 regarding status of compliance of orders of the Tribunal on the subject of solid waste management and allied issues (mining, air pollution) in the State of Goa.

A status report was submitted on behalf of State of Goa indicating the status of compliance of order dated 16/01/2019. Some of the achievements listed are the following:

• A total of 1, 57, 721.7 tonnes of open accumulated dumps/legacy waste has been remediated.
• Solid waste management policy for the state has been notified on 11.10.2018.
• Thirteen locations have been identified for depositing construction and demolition waste and a 500 TPD processing facility has been proposed at Colvale village which will be commissioned within 30 months.

NGT says that the steps mentioned are certainly in the right direction but much still needs to be accomplished, especially in the field of plastic and bio-medical waste management. Further it has come to the notice of the Tribunal that the state government has constituted a patrolling-cumflying- squad to monitor and crackdown on illegal sand mining activities in the state. The patrolling-cum-flying squad of the South Goa district administration constituted to check illegal sand mining conducted surprise checks of riverside plot at Khorjem, Curtorim, where illegal sand mining activities were suspected to be carried out and found that sand was illegally mined from the river bed and was being brought to the banks with the help of canoes and loaded into waiting trucks. These facts have been brought to the notice of the Chief Secretary so that the same can be verified and necessary action considered.

Some of the directions passed by NGT on April 10, after discussions with the Chief Secretary are the following:

i. Steps for compliance of Rules 22 and 24 of SWM Rules be now taken within six weeks to the extent not yet taken. Similar steps be taken with regard to Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules and Plastic Waste Management Rules.

ii. Atleast three major cities/towns in the State and atleast three Panchayats in every District may be notified on the website within two weeks from today as model cities/towns/villages which will be made fully compliant within next six months.

iii. The remaining cities, towns and Village Panchayats of the State may be made fully compliant in respect of environmental norms within one year.