PANAJI
Faecal contamination continues to remain a concern in Goa’s rivers, with 12 of the 15 monitored locations recording faecal coliform levels above the permissible limits prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The latest monthly progress report submitted by the State to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) reveals that several river stretches, including the Mandovi, Zuari, Chapora, Tiracol, Sinquerim and Sal, recorded faecal coliform levels substantially higher than the prescribed limit of 100 MPN per 100 ml for water classified under SW-II.
The most concerning reading was recorded in the Mapusa River, at the culvert on the Mapusa-Panaji highway, where faecal coliform stood at 1,700 MPN per 100 ml, against the permissible limit of 100. The stretch also recorded dissolved oxygen of just 3 mg/l, below the prescribed minimum of 4 mg/l, while its biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) was 4.8 mg/l, exceeding the permissible limit of 3 mg/l.
Other stretches also reported high readings. The Tiracol River at Keri recorded 930 MPN per 100 ml, Sinquerim near Candolim recorded 920, while the Chapora at Siolim Bridge and Mandovi at Tonca-Marcela each recorded 780 MPN per 100 ml.
The Zuari at Madkai Jetty recorded 680 MPN per 100 ml, while the River Sal at Khareband, Margao, registered 780 MPN per 100 ml.
Interestingly, the report records that the biochemical oxygen demand at these monitoring locations was generally below detection limits, indicating that faecal contamination remains a distinct concern even where other water-quality parameters are within permissible limits.
The report, however, does not identify the specific sources responsible for the contamination at these individual monitoring points.
The findings come even as Goa's polluted river stretches have reduced from 11 in 2018 to six in 2022 and two in September 2025, following the CPCB's reassessment based on BOD levels.
