MARGAO
When will the storm water nallahs in the commercial capital have the barriers to arrest the flow of plastic and other waste in the water channels, is a question that has come to the fore after last week’s inspection revealed that some of the storm water nallahs were choked with plastic bottles and other waste.
Consider this: In 2021, when then Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral came across the city’s storm water nallahs inundated with plastic waste, then Water Resources Department’s senior engineer Ankush Gaonkar had suggested the installation of barriers at the mouth of the nallahs to arrest the flow of plastic and other waste.
In June 2023, Margao Municipal Chief Officer Gaurish Sankhwalkar wrote a letter to the Executive Engineer of the Water Resources Department to explore the possibility of installing barriers to arrest the plastic and other waste. In the letter, the Chief Officer spoke of a decision taken by the Core Committee set up in view of a PIL petition, to explore the possibilities to put a barrier in the nallah near Kudchadkar Hospital, Navelim Road to arrest the plastic and other materials flowing into the drains, before entering in the fields.
Last week’s inspection only showed the ground reality has not changed for the better with tonnes of plastic bottles and other waste flowing into the Kudchadkar Hospital nallah for want of a barrier.
