THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
Amid High Court seeking water quality report of the River Mandovi, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has found that faecal coliform contamination in the river has consistently exceeded permissible limits at most monitoring locations over the past decade, with exceedances remaining above 80 per cent during most years and reaching 95.83 per cent across eight monitoring stations in 2025-26.
At the same time, the Board noted signs of improvement in recent years. The range of faecal coliform concentrations recorded during 2025-26 was the lowest since monitoring began, and post-monsoon readings in March 2026 dropped to 70 MPN per 100 ml at IFFI Jetty and 33 MPN per 100 ml at Mandovi Bridge.
The issue came up for discussion during the recent meeting of the GSPCB Board, which reviewed an assessment of water quality data collected under the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP) of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
As per the assessment report, River Mandovi, classified under the SW-II category for coastal waters meant for bathing, contact water sports and commercial fishing, has a prescribed faecal coliform limit of less than 100 MPN per 100 ml. However, monitoring data from 2016 to 2026 revealed persistent microbiological contamination across several stretches of the river.
“The percentage exceedance analysis under SW-II criteria reveals that exceedances remained above 80% during most monitoring years, with exceedance percentage reported as 95.83% during 2025-2026 for eight monitoring stations,” the Board noted.
The report also highlighted a distinct spatial trend, with upstream locations such as Tonca-Marcela, Amona and stretches near Vedanta recording comparatively higher faecal coliform levels than downstream urban locations including Hotel Marriott, IFFI Jetty, Mandovi Bridge and the Ribandar-Chodan ferry point.
“An assessment of NWMP monitoring data for the period 2016-2026 indicates persistent exceedances of prescribed Faecal Coliform limits across several monitoring locations of River Mandovi. The analysis further indicates substantial spatial and temporal variation in microbiological contamination levels. Elevated faecal coliform concentrations were predominantly observed during monsoon months, suggesting influence of seasonal runoff and pollutant transport into the river system,” the Board said.
The report identified probable causes of contamination, including discharge of untreated or partially treated sewage, tributary inflows, septic tank leakages, waste from river navigation activities and improper waste management practices along the riverbanks.
The Board further observed that during the year 2020 to 2021, faecal coliform concentrations exhibited a marked decline relative to the preceding years which was attributable to significantly decreased anthropogenic activity during the COVID-19 lockdown period. “A subsequent increase in faecal coliform concentrations was recorded during 2023 to 2024, with IFFI Jetty recording 1,400 MPN/100 ml in January, 2024 and Mandovi Bridge recording 2,300 MPN/100 ml in December, 2023,” it said.
“Faecal coliform concentrations at both stations recorded improvement during 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026,” it said.
The Board deliberated on recommendations including inter-departmental inspections, strengthening of monitoring mechanisms, verification of sewage treatment infrastructure and identification of point and non-point sources contributing to microbiological contamination in the River Mandovi.
