Data released recently by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) should be another wake-up call for the State government. According to the study, sea water at prominent beaches in the States is contaminated with the high presence of faecal coliform — faecal material of humans and animals. It also showed that biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) exceeds acceptable limits. BOD is the dissolved oxygen that aerobic biological organisms need to break down organic material in a given water sample over a certain period.
Famous tourist beaches like Miramar, Calangute, Colva, Mobor, Maina, Galgibag, Vagator, Velsao, Morjim and Tiracol have reported high levels of contamination, making them unsafe for bathing, and this is not the first red flag. The CPCB report for 2021-22 also had similar findings, with the board again pointing to faecal coliform being beyond permissible limits at these same beaches.
Interestingly, it is not the CPCB report alone that shows this pollution; the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) has, on several occasions in the past, reported “alarmingly high levels of coliform bacteria” and blamed it on the release of untreated sewage into seawater. These observations have been surfacing for more than a decade. In 2011, the NIO found the faecal coliform (FC) count at some locations to be as high as 190/100 ml against the permissible level of 100/ 100 ml, and pathogenic bacteria presence was detected even 25 km offshore.
The findings are a cause for concern because beaches have been the centrepiece of Goa tourism, and despite the State government’s recent efforts to take tourism beyond the shores, the beach belt continues to be the mainstay of this bread-earning sector for Goa. The question is, how long will the State government overlook this stinking reality that is flashed before our eyes through such findings? And why is nothing being done to rectify a situation that only worsens yearly?
One of the primary reasons attributed to being a contributing factor is the shacks and other establishments channelling raw sewage into the sea. The garbage and sewage disposal issue persists despite the government shifting the onus on panchayats in the recently released shack policy. Besides the panchayats in the Calangute constituency and a few others, panchayats have expressed helplessness in addressing the sewerage issue because of logistical and infrastructural issues.
The blatant sewage discharge into the sea along the coastline has not been plugged even as there are talks about the rejuvenation of rivers and water bodies. The reality is that all such grandiose plans for the revival of rivers will be an exercise in futility if sewage discharge is not tackled.
Secondly, plans to release treated water into the sea or rivers remain questionable because of uncertainty and the absence of stringent quality checks. Treated water has not found acceptability in Goa. In Sirvodem and Navelim, where two treatment plants operate, around 13 MLD of water is treated daily and released mainly in river Sal.
The government must take seawater pollution seriously and view it holistically because it is futile to address the issue without looking at inter-connected problems. As long as sewage is released into water bodies connecting to the sea, the contamination will not cease.
