Govt initiates process to provide sewer connections in Mapusa

MAPUSA

After a wait of eight long years, the State government has finally initiated the process to issue sewage connections to individual homes in Mapusa.

The Sewerage and Infrastructure Development Corporation of Goa Ltd (SIDCGL) has recently written to the Mapusa Municipal Council seeking a no objection certificate (NOC) for road cutting to provide sewage connection to individual homes.

The SIDCGL is expected to release the connections in phases with houses near the sewerage treatment plant getting the connections first.

“The Mapusa Municipal Council has to take a resolution to issue NOC to the SIDCGL to provide connections to individual homes. The council will take the decision in the upcoming council meeting,” said Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza.

D’Souza informed that the council will also take a decision to issue NOC to the electricity department for road cutting so that they can begin work on laying power cables underground.

“The council will pass a resolution to issue NOCs to the SIDCGL and the electricity department together so that work on both projects can start simultaneously,” the MLA said.

In his recent budget speech, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the sewerage project in Mapusa along with some others will be commissioned in this financial year.

He also said the government was aiming to increase sewerage connectivity from 17 to 28 percent and allocated Rs 372 crore to the sewerage sector.

The contract to lay the sewerage line in Mapusa and Calangute-Baga was awarded to Simplex Infrastructures Ltd in 2012.

The total cost of the project was pegged at Rs 152.72 crore and was expected to be completed in September 2015.

With a total of 1,429 manholes and 1,450 inspection chambers in place, sewerage pipeline network of around 38 km in length was completed in Mapusa some years back.

The Sewerage Treatment Plant at Camarkhazan, Mapusa was also completed but trial run of the plant got delayed for want of power connection.

The sewerage work in several parts of the State is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).