Friday, January 30, 2009

Goa garbage burning in Margao threatens epidemic

It has been over six days of garbage burning at Sonsoddo in Margao, after some alleged miscreants set fire to the garbage at different places exposing the nearby residents of the area to toxic pollutants emanating in the air by the open turning of the garbage in a bid of trying to play spoilsport in the governments efforts to employ the services of Goa foundation an NGO, in solving the garbage problem in Margao.

This kind of brute and savage acts of some disgruntled elements have therefore become a threatening factor for the residents of Margao, Fatorda, Borda, Gogol, Housing Board and the nearby villages of Raia and Curtorim.

The incident has hopelessly exposed the lack of emergency response of the governemnt in such expedient situations and utterly demonstrated their lack of planning and co-ordination to reduce the impact of the alleged sabotage at the site.

This incident will also help fuel the demands and fears of the anti-garbage site activists who have time and again criticized the governments handling of garbage and opposed its locations all over Goa.

If the government shows such a lackadaisical response to such a grave problem affecting citizens directly, no one will trust or allow the dumping of garbage around their areas and the anti garbage stir in Bainguinim in North Goa is certain to gain momentum besides alerting all Goans about the naivety of trusting government machinery to control our lives.

Residents around Sonsoddo have already started complaining of skin and eye irritation, dry cough and throat infection, while medical experts have opined that graver long term effects such as asthma, bronchitis and lung complications especially among children and senior citizens could be detected at a later date. The central nervous system as well as the problems related to the upper respiratory tract are dangers that the residents are currently exposed to for no fault of theirs.

The area is in the closest proximity to a very popular school which thankfully is currently going through a short holiday duration being a CBSE school following a different schedule of school terms.

The government should therefore ensure that there is no stone unturned to rid the area of this dangerous menace and most importantly quell the flames and arrest the smoke affecting the residents immediately.

Health is much more important than useless festivals like IFFI which are needlessly draining the state of its resources and funds. But sadly for the government they seem to be more in demand than Goan health.

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