DEAR ARUN SINHA EDITOR NAVHIND TIMES DEAR SIR
I know your paper cannot take such lengthy articles and i am not a columnist writer in your paper hence i had sent this write up to other local papers but was unsuccessful and they have not published reasons not known to me. I am sorry that this request is coming to you now which i feel that the stench at Bainguinim plant if at all materializes will surely be affecting not only the locals more but also the tourists from all over the world and they will change their mind and go elsewhere and our Government will loose the income coming mostly from these foreign tourists. Also the exposition of St.Francis Xavier will be affected because of the stench. I and the prominent personalities mentioned in my article have suggested alternative arrangements including scientific reasons which will crop up if garbage dump is made similar to Sonssodo at Curtorim constituency in Margao. Please, I sincerely request you to publish this article or edit it if found lengthy. Thanks a million Sir. Stephen Dias Dona Paula 9422443110 5.7.2020 BAINGUINIM SWTP WILL DEFILE OLD GOA Stephen Dias The Bainguinim waste treatment plant site has created a host of actual and perceived problems that may happen which could render the unique and one of its kind, never to be replicated again World Heritage site of Old Goa with its ornate Basilica de Bom Jesus and the Sé Cathedral into deep trouble. >From the happenings of the past although now consigned in history books it may be stated that Old Goa was the capital city of Goa during the Portuguese regime and it was because of the outbreak of plague in the area that Old Goa ceased to be the capital of Goa and Panjim became the new capital. The possibility of such an event repeating in Old Goa cannot be excluded if a waste treatment plant which comes up there undergoes a major breakdown which cannot be repaired in time and the garbage is allowed to fester in the area thus causing the possibility of pestilence such as swarms of mosquitoes and blue bottle flies. It would be better that we learn from the lessons of the past and thus prudently decide to find another area for relocation of the garbage treatment plant so as to for once and for all prevent the outbreak of a health disaster in an area which is known to be a sacred place with the sacred relics of the patron saint of Goa, St. Francis Xavier being housed in an intricately crafted casket in the Basilica de Bom Jesus. Besides the people of the area up in arms against using this sacred place as a backyard for setting up of the solid waste treatment plant ( SWTP) as also the possibility of percolation of leachate into the ground water of Old Goa causing contamination, saner reason should prevail and this project should be shifted to another location that is remote in Tiswadi. It would be also noted that nowhere in the world would the general populace allow the vicinity of a sacred area to become defiled by a plant which has the potential of causing a pestilence. Places of such world wide acclaim as a tourist destination should have a hygienic environment. To elucidate the mood of the prominent citizens of this area , I would like to quote three very well-known and respected personalities who have these words to say: A prominent doctor ( Dr. Edelweiss Desa) says there are lot of construction where people started residing plus a school has come up there. It has become a chock- a- block with an Industrial Estate at Corlim which has a lot of space and can be explored for a Garbage plant. She is against getting garbage from Panjim to Bainguinim. She feels that each village should have their own way of disposal. Another prominent NIO scientist ( Anselam Almeida) says it is not a good place as it's on a hill plateau and it's leachate is going to destroy the complete ground water table and so the fields and drinking water of Carambolim. Further the leachate is going to destroy the fresh water Carambolim lake which is Bird sanctuary for Siberian cranes. And the third widely renowned priests Dr. (Fr.) Victor Ferrão says there are aesthetics and scientific reasons why we cannot have in Bainguinim, due to its closeness of Old Goa churches and Fr.Savio Barreto ex- Rector of Basílica of Bom Jesus recollect that our church has opposed to this dumping garbage Bainguinim site. It is well known that accumulation of garbage in this area with these spiritual precincts should not happen. It should be cautioned here that in the vicinity of this area earlier at Santa Mónica, Corlim, a pesticide plant was located which was producing pesticides banned by the World Health Organization and were using such concentrated inorganic and organic compounds that were lethal such as Chlorine gas in 800 kgs cylinders, corrosive mono chloro mono methyl aceto-acetamide, phosphorous tri-chloride and trimethyl phosphite that could have caused a major disaster in the area. I have been working in this CIBA plant in the early 1970s. Stephen Dias Former Scientist of NIO 9422443110 4.7.2020 Resident of Dona Paula -Goa