The directive from the Goa State Pollution Control Board to the Corporation of the City of Panaji and 25 panchayats which are located on the banks of the Mandovi river to conduct a survey of all houses, residential complexes, other establishments, registered and not registered along the banks to ascertain if they are in anyway releasing treated or untreated waste into the river or its tributaries, is a step in the right direction. The survey is meant to detect the exact sources of river pollution and plug them. The CCP and the village panchayats have also been asked to submit detailed plans of storm water drains which empty into the river. A similar directive was issued last year but the response was poor and some arm twisting will have to done this year to ensure compliance.
To some, the directive might seem superfluous because the Mandovi is not as polluted as the Sal or Bicholim. It might be recalled that there was a scare a few years ago when it was suspected that untreated sewage from casinos was being released into the river, but even that seems in the distant past. A study of the state of rivers in Goa which was released last June showed that Mandovi and the Khandepar rivers are the cleanest. But researchers found that faecal coliform count, which has to be nil, was found to be hovering around 1,300 to 7,900 colonies per 100 millilitre of water in the average rivers. The board chairman went on record to say that the state's rivers have almost 80-90 faecal coliform content, which is dangerous to human health. During the monsoons, contaminants from the shore are washed into the river, which adds to pollution.
In recent times, rivers in the country have come under severe stress due to population growth, rapid urbanisation and unmonitored flows from industrial units located along river banks. Besides, absorption of water from rivers for irrigation and domestic use has reduced the amount of water required to maintain flow in the river. Poor governance, which results in a lack of checks and balances on industrial effluents and untreated waste from residential colonies has made the problem worse and reduced the chances of revival. The Ganga, which is the most famous of rivers in the country and supports nearly one-fourth of the population, is a virtual cesspool and the present dispensation at the Centre is struggling to clean it. Unlike most rivers, the Mandovi and Zuari have a flushing system. Tidal action is visible deep into the interiors and this constant flushing ensures movement of contaminants into the sea. The down side is that garbage thrown into the river often ends up on beaches.
The Mandovi might be clean, but the question that stares Goa in the face is, should it wait until contamination starts? The directive issued by the pollution control board forces panchayats to get more pro-active in identifying weak spots in the system. It will also force villages into making river pollution a factor when fresh permissions for construction of housing colonies and hotels are granted. The exercise, if undertaken in right earnest will result in a map of the river banks and help the board maintain a strict vigil on potential polluters. A similar exercise has to be undertaken for all rivers, especially the Sal and Bicholim, sooner than later so that the rivers do not reach a state of no return.
