Latest news with #GoaStatePollutionControlBoard
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Time of India
Move to revise chicken shops' category shelved
Panaji: The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has decided to suspend its decision to re-categorise chicken/mutton shops in Goa as 'green category' industries, following objections from several animal welfare organisations. Objecting to the re-categorising chicken/mutton shops as 'green category' industries, advocate Atish Mandrekar said that the Central Pollution Control Board categorises slaughterhouses as 'red category' industries. He said that the GSPCB based its decision on an exercise carried out by the Kerala Pollution Control Board. However, the GSPCB's decision is not in tune with the decision taken by the Kerala Pollution Control Board regarding the categorisation of such establishments, said the lawyer. Rajendra Shah from the Animal Welfare Board and Gauri Maulekhi from People for Animals were among others who also objected to the re-categorisation. 'The board, by its decision taken at its 160th meeting, has permitted the slaughter of animals and birds in the chicken/mutton shops/centres in Goa, which is in gross violation of the established law, particularly the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, as well as judgements passed by the NGT in the Gauri Maulekhi case and the Animal Rescue Squad vs. GSPCB matter,' Mandrekar said. Mandrekar said that permitting slaughtering activity in the absence of adequate pollution control measures will cause environmental and health hazards in the vicinity. He therefore sought that the GSPCB quash its decision. After hearing the submissions, and 'keeping in mind the Precautionary Principle of Environmental Jurisprudence', the board was of the opinion that it will be necessary to presently suspend the operation of the decision taken by the GSPCB for re-categorisation of chicken/mutton shops in Goa as 'green category' industries.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Soon, GIS mapping of Sal river and Ponda nullah; digital portal for environmental monitoring in state
Panaji: The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), at its recent meeting, approved GIS mapping of River Sal and the Ponda nullah to identify the source of pollution in these water bodies. The board noted that it received a number of complaints about pollution in the Sal and the nullah. Besides this, the board said that a writ petition was also filed in the high court, where it was also told to find the source of pollution in these water bodies. The board has accordingly decided to invite e-tenders to carry out the work. Meanwhile, the board approved the issuance of a work order to a selected service provider through e-tendering, chosen to set up a digital portal and dashboard for an online continuous environmental data monitoring system. This dashboard will collect real-time pollution monitoring data from all industrial units in Goa. The server will be operational within six months, the GSPCB told the service provider, who will be paid Rs 85 lakh for the work. 'This portal will enable highly scalable systems that can connect more than 2,000 or all available industries/units of Goa, engaged in online monitoring with all the sites simultaneously in real-time with a non-proprietary, highly scalable back-end database suitable for storing time series data,' the board said in the minutes of its meeting. The Union ministry of electronics and information technology, under the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme and the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme, requires states to carry out continuous noise monitoring, ambient air quality monitoring, effluent monitoring, and emission monitoring. All this data is to be deployed on the empanelled cloud server of the ministry and managed by a bidder under the ownership of the GSPCB. Accordingly, a work order will be issued to create a digital portal and dashboard for a continuous online monitoring system for Goa.
Time of India
17-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
State frames guidelines for ready-mix concrete plants
Panaji: The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has approved, for the first time, environmental guidelines for ready-mix concrete (RMC) plants operating in the state. The major environmental issue posed by these plants is fugitive dust emission during the loading or unloading of materials, and storing, transferring, and mixing them. The guidelines state that commercial RMC plants must be 100m away from settlements, educational institutions, places of worship, archaeological monuments, national parks, reserves, and heritage sites. They state that no such plant will be permitted within the buffer zone of wildlife sanctuaries. Ready-mix concrete is manufactured in a factory or batching plant according to a set recipe, and is then delivered to a work site by truck mounted in-transit mixers. A commercial RMC plant is a concrete batching plant set up for supplying RMC to construction sites, while captive plants are dedicated to a particular project. 'There should be at least 100m distance between two RMC plants for both commercial and captive categories. This will not be applicable to RMC plants located in notified industrial plots/zones,' the guidelines state. All existing RMC plants have been warned not to expand without prior consent of the GSPCB. If such a unit applies for expansion, the board will consider it to be a new industry that will have to adhere to the recommended criteria for new RMC plants, the guidelines state. To curb air pollution, all aggregates such as sand, gravel, or crushed stone will have to be properly covered to prevent fugitive emissions during transportation. 'All containers carrying aggregates to RMC plants shall be first passed through water sprinklers to minimise dust emission during unloading in the storage area,' state the guidelines.
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Treated wastewater offered for free for non-potable use
Margao: Govt announced that treated wastewater from nine operational sewage treatment plants (STPs) across the state is now available free of charge for non-potable applications. The STPs include the 20 MLD plants at Shirvodem, Margao, and Katem Baina, Vasco; the 0.8 MLD plant in Sanquelim; a 1 MLD facility in Durbhat; a 5.6 MLD plant in Calangute Baga; a 2 MLD facility at Patto, Panaji; a 7.5 MLD unit in Colva; and a 15 MLD plant in Kavlem Ponda. According to the public notice issued in the official gazette, the treated water quality meets all norms specified by both the Goa State Pollution Control Board and the Central Pollution Control Board for non-potable usage. Govt outlined several approved uses for the treated wastewater. Apart from agricultural purposes, the treated wastewater can be used for urban applications, including watering public parks, private gardens, roadside green spaces, and traffic medians, as well as street and pathway cleaning. Industrial sectors can utilise the water for processing, cooling systems, recirculation in cooling towers, floor washing, aggregate cleaning, concrete production, soil compaction, and dust control measures. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Govt set a goal of meeting 50% of non-potable water demand for construction activities within a 15km radius of operational STPs. Construction companies can use the treated water for concrete curing, dust suppression, general watering, soil compaction, and road works. Water treated from STPs may be used by the hotels in the vicinity of working STPs for gardening, washing of pavements, and other non-potable uses, the notice adds. Those interested in accessing the treated water are required to arrange dedicated tankers following established colour-coding guidelines. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
State readying sand erosion management plan: Goa CM
PANAJI : Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said state govt has started a study to prepare a comprehensive sand erosion management plan to save Goa 's coastline. He said if beaches are not saved, tourists will no longer visit Goa. Sawant urged the people to strictly implement the single-use plastic ban in the state from World Environment Day (June 5). He said Goa is the number one state for working towards preserving biodiversity. He said state govt continues with sustainable development while maintaining 66% green cover and protecting eco-sensitive areas. He went on to urge the business community to work towards preserving the environment while pursuing entrepreneurial success. 'Sand erosion and soil erosion are big issues in the state. In the future, we have to save beaches, and people have to come to Goa,' Sawant said at the World Environment Day function held at Raj Bhavan. He added, 'We have to stop sand erosion, and to do that, we have started to conduct a study to prepare a soil erosion management plan.' Sawant said the single-use plastic ban is on paper, but govt will start implementing it now on the ground. 'We will strictly implement the ban on single-use plastic from Thursday,' he said. 'We have to say no to single-use plastic. We should use cloth bags while visiting markets.' Sawant said that mangroves and khazan management plans have been approved to save those natural assets. He said the Goa State Pollution Control Board works to bring solutions and not to harass any people. 'If we want to keep Goa clean and green, the pollution control board has to act. Goa is a small state, and it will not take time to destroy it,' Sawant said. 'We have to work to protect the state.' The chief minister said Goa is one of the cleanest states and has two solid waste management plants under the public-private partnership model. Sawant urged industries to run effluent treatment plants at their units and reuse water. He said state govt started setting up sewerage treatment plants across the state, including on the coastal belt. The chief minister said that nobody should give plants in cement pots at any function to guests, as the plants never survive, and the pot does not decompose for 1,000 years. Instead, he suggested gifting coir pots so that the plants can survive.
