MAPUSA
Goa’s sewage treatment plants are closely tied to the State’s rivers, creeks and coastal waters, with government data showing that all 11 STPs listed are connected either directly or through nallahs to major water bodies – but none has been the subject of a GSPCB report of raw sewage discharge into rivers in the last three years. The government data maps the sewage infrastructure to the Zuari, Mandovi, Sal, Valvanti and Tar rivers, besides Baga and St Inez creeks and, eventually, the Arabian Sea. The list includes the 15 MLD STP at Queula, whose treated discharge route is through the Kapileshwari nallah and eventually into the Zuari and the 1 MLD Durbhat STP, which is connected to the Zuari River. The 2 MLD STP at Patto is linked to the Mandovi River, while the 6.7 MLD Margao STP and the 20 MLD Shirvodem STP are connected through an adjoining nalla h to the Sal River. The 7.5 MLD STP near Colva football ground is directly connected to the Sal, while the Sanquelim STP is linked to an adjoining nallah that eventually flows into the Valvanti.
In North Goa, the Baga-Calangute STP is connected to Baga Creek and the Mapusa STP to an adjoining nallah that eventually flows into the Tar River. The Tonca STP is linked to St Inez Creek. The 20 MLD Vasco STP at Katem-Baina has an adjoining nallah which eventually joins the Arabian Sea.
Despite the extensive network of sewage infrastructure around Goa’s water bodies, the government has stated that there has been no GSPCB reports of raw sewage discharge into rivers from any of these STPs during the last three years. The finding provides an important distinction between the location of treated sewage discharge points and any reported discharge of raw sewage. The fact that an STP is connected to a river, creek or nallah does not by itself indicate that untreated sewage is entering the water body. At the same time, the data highlights the extent to which Goa’s water bodies remain the eventual receiving environment for sewage-treatment infrastructure. The listed plants have a combined treatment capacity of at least 73 MLD, based on the capacities specified in the government data, with some entries not carrying a capacity in the supplied list.
The network effectively stretches across Goa’s principal river systems, with sewage treatment plants feeding into receiving channels that ultimately reach rivers or the sea. The government’s assertion that there have been no GSPCB reports of raw sewage discharge into rivers over the past three years will therefore be significant for the State’s environmental monitoring record – particularly as sewage treatment capacity and the health of Goa’s rivers and coastal waters remain closely linked.
