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Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/
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Goa has a big garbage problem at hand
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Once a psychiatric nurse by profession,
a British environmentalist has come to Goa and has joined
hands with a former cop to help Goa address one major
menace: garbage.
Awarded in the UK for his work in charity,
Gordon Campbell-Thomas - who has settled in Moira
since the last five years - wants to provide Goa with
' environmental solutions that do not cost the earth '
In an interview with HERALD's VELMA FERNANDES
Campbell says every Goan should realise the intensity
or the dangers of the garbage issue and should start
the remediation within the home.
How big do you think is the garbage problem in Goa ?
It is a very large problem. According to Dr. N. Varde, Director
of Department of Science, Technology and Environment, Goa
produces exactly 186 tonnes of garbage a day. We all make
garbage but if we don't learn to manage our own garbage then
we will destroy everything that makes Goa special.
What made you come to Goa ?
My ancestors have been living here since 1700. I was born in
the UK but I lived my first ten years in Kolkata. Five years
ago, when I was on a tour visit to India, I just thought of visiting
Goa since a Goenkar friend in UK had told me to do so. I fell
in love with Goa, in the first instant itself, but being a tourist
was not on my agenda.
I witnessed a scene in Calangute with beautiful coconut trees
by the beach, a picture that is shown by the government to
most tourists who yearn to visit Goa. But I also saw a horrifying
fact that barely a quarter of a mile away stashed up in a corner.
A pile of garbage was rotting away and little poor children were
picking leftovers from it. I took a photo of this so that I can
remember the other side of Goa that is not shown to tourists.
This made me think that if I could do garbage disposal site
remediation in York, England then why not in Goa.
What are do you specifically deal with ?
My company Goa Environmental Solutions Private Limited deals
with mainly environmental issues relating to public. But my main
expertise is landfill remediation or garbage disposal site remediation.
I am concerned about putting into place sustainable environmental
solutions because we have to look at everything in the long run.
I want to increase the use of renewable energy solutions, like I had
wind turbines to generate electricity in UK.
These are things that brought me to Goa to live and work here. I have
my partner Mathew Pereira from Colvale, an ex-policeman and seaman,
Director of Green Goa Works, environmental consultant to Mapusa
Municipal Council and an ex-employee of Goa Foundation. We do this
for a living, it is a business. Besides garbage disposal site remediation,
we are in the process of opening up PET (Polythylene Tetro Fluoride)
recycling scheme in North Goa.
What kind of a solution do you have to offer Goa ?
My solution is based on experience. It is very practical, small scale
and low technology solution and can work at the village level. I don't
think the cluster thing is going to work as I wrote in my letter to the
Herald, because on a village level nobody wants the garbage of others
in their territory. Two things have to be done here. In an ideal situation
we have to segregate garbage in people's homes, factories and shops.
Then we have to maximise the recycling of segregated garbage.
We also have to deal with disposal sites that already exist since they
are time bombs. All this needs an effort from the state, people and the
correct infrastructure management.
Have you been associated with garbage management in England ?
Originally, I was a psychiatric nurse by profession. I moved to the
city of York, England in 1986 where I found that the local council
wanted to turn a disused garbage site into an industrial estate but
local people wanted something different. So I got involved in a local
people's campaign to have it as a nature park. We succeeded in
turning ten hectares of disused garbage site into a nature park
known as St. Nicholas's Nature Reserve. Another result of the
campaign was the creation of a building which was the first
sustainable community building in Britain. This has been highly
recommended by Prime Minister Tony Blair as an example of
good practice in the studies that is carried out on sustainability
in action. The building is powered by wind turbines and solar
panels so electricity comes from sustainable sources. Compost
toilets were installed so as to minimise water waste. These are
toilets where instead of using water to flush the waste, we use
coconut coir. This reduces water waste, and the composted
waste can be used on land areas. There is no smell and no flies,
as we add effective microbes to the mixture.
How do you plan to deal with hazardous waste or biomedical waste ?
Biomedical waste has to be segregated and then incinerated
at a high temperature because if there is no high temperature
then you produce carcinogens which in turn are harmful to health.
Does Goa need to emphasise on recycling ?
Recycling has be a priority. We need to put in more on recycling
efforts. At the moment it is done in an unorganised way by the
lamanis, but if there was more state help and better organisation
then obviously a greater amount could be recycled.
Do you think the people of Goa should rely on the
government for solutions or should they solve their own
problems ?
A combination of the two. Besides government intervention,
people too will have to do their own bit be it in homes, factories
or markets.
Do you think the people of Goa know they have a big
problem at hand or are they 'susegad' about it ?
People of Goa do have a big problem at hand. Of course being
'susegad' is a nice feeling but it won't provide a clean green future
for their children and it is high time they realise this fact. I guess
they are either walking around with their eyes open or with their
eyes closed in which case they are lost!
What is the most difficult item to dispose off ?
Given the right amount of effort everything can be disposed off
safely in its own manner. Of course I could talk about radioactive
waste in this regard, but that's a whole different ball game.
What is the solution to plastics ? Right now, in villages the
major way of disposing garbage is burning. Can you list out
the repercussions of this practice.
The simple answer is Don't Use Plastics. Refuse a plastic bag and
carry a cloth or a paper bag for shopping. The problem with burning
is that you burn no only paper and leaves but you burn plastic which
leaves a lot of carcinogens in the atmosphere, which as I stated
earlier is harmful to health.
If anyone's interested how could they contact you ?
Simply by phoning on 9326131935 or emailing me at:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Herald 25/4/05 page 4
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