MARGAO
Will the Sewerage Infrastructure Development Corporation of Goa Ltd (SIDCGL) stick to its deadline and commission the North main trunk sewage line by December 31 this year?
SIDCGL Managing Director Amar Vazhirani told the media on the banks of River Sal on Saturday that the North main trunk line is expected to be commissioned by December 31.
The foundation stone for the North main trunk sewage line was laid by former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar after returning to power in the State in the 2017 Assembly election with the support of the Goa Forward party. Work on the project to replace the entire over six-km long main line from Arlem circle to Sirvodem was taken up by the government at an estimated cost of over Rs 90 crore.
However, work on the project could not be completed as per the initial deadline, only aggravating the discharge of raw sewage in the drains and storm water nullahs, besides paddy fields all along the line, right up to the Old Market Circle.
The SIDCGL MD said the main trunk line will be completed by December-end this year right up to the Colva circle, which would facilitate the north main line to the Sirvodem sewage treatment plant.
In the absence of the north main line, most of the sewerage generated in the Fatorda area of the city has been flowing to the stormwater nullahs before finding its way to the adjoining river Sal at around 2-3 points.
The Water Resources Department, in its survey of the river Sal a year and a half ago, had identified at least 2-3 sewage discharge points into the river Sal in the Fatorda area, right from Ambaji to Mungul in the absence of the North main sewage line.
Sources, however, said the SIDCGL officials should ensure that work on the missing links along the main trunk route right up to the Sirvodem sewage treatment plant is completed by the year-end.
Citing the case of the damaged sewage chamber at Comba, discharged raw sewage to the stormwater nullah connected to the river Sal, officials said though a line was laid to bypass the sewage chamber to connect the underground line, there’s still no respite to the flow of raw sewage into the river Sal via the stormwater nullah along the Comba ring road.
Meanwhile, the SIDCGL MD said both the STPs set up at Sirvodem are now running in good condition. Officials, however, have no answer when it was pointed out that the STPs are both underutilised in their capacities for want of sewage.
