MARGAO
With the opposition to the discharge of treated sewage into the sea growing louder and louder, South Goa District Collector Dr Tariq Thomas on Wednesday promised to convey the sentiments of Colva villagers to the government, even as he maintained that the Sewerage and Infrastructural Development Corporation of Goa is required to obtain statutory permissions to complete work on the 7.5-MLD STP.
Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao and Colva Sarpanch Anthony Fernandes, besides citizens stuck to their opposition over the proposal to discharge the treated STP water into the sea, fearing the move will spell doom for the iconic Colva beach. On the other hand, Managing Director of Sewerage Development Corporation P B Seldarkar said he would place the minutes of today’s meeting called by the Collector before the government for an appropriate decision.
Seldarkar’s bid to allay fears amongst the people that the Corporation would go by the parameters laid down by the Goa State Pollution Control Board did not find favour with the local MLA, Sarpanch and ward members as they insisted that raw sewage would flow into the sea in the event of a power failure, bringing bad name for the world famous beach.
Leading the opposition against the STP at a meeting with the District Collector, local MLA Churchill Alemao argued that the Centre on one hand has declared Colva as an iconic beach, while the state government is building a sewerage treatment plant with a proposal to discharge treated sewage water in the sea. “The river Sal is totally devastated today because of treated sewage water. Colva beach will be doomed if the treated sewage water is discharged into the sea,” he said, while asserting that he would oppose tooth and nail any move to lay a line for discharge of the treated sewage in the sea.
Churchill said the PWD can go ahead with the project only when the government comes out with an alternate plan how to dispose of the treated sewage water.
Colva Sarpanch Anthony Fernandes pointed out that the panchayat has already issued two stop-work order notices to the Sewerage Development Corporation, pointing out that the Corporation has started work on the project without a conversion sanad and permissions from the TCP.
A citizen Thomas Rodrigues drew attention of the District Collector to a video footage of the treated water discharged at the Baina beach, saying tourists as well as visitors are now avoiding the beach. “A similar situation will occur at Colva, which will ultimately kill tourism at the world famous beach,” Thomas said.
Incidentally, Seldarkar replied in the negative when the Collector questioned whether the Corporation had conducted an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) before executing the STP, saying no EIA is required for a domestic sewage project.
The Collector, however, said that the Corporation should obtain the requisite permissions before resuming work on the project, saying it should take up with the government the concerns raised by the local villagers.
