Inspections reveal hutments have come up on stormwater nullah embankments flowing into River Sal, with none connected to sewerage system and waste being drained into water bodies
File photo of the illegal shanties unearthed by the Margao police at Malbhat post-Pahalgam terror attack.
MARGAO
Action initiated by the Margao police against the dozens of illegal kutcha houses leased out to migrants have thrown up a contentious issue for the authorities and powers that be to handle – how and where was the sewage and waste generated in the locality disposed of by the owner/ tenants; were the hutments housing hundreds of migrants connected to the underground sewerage project and whether the authorities, including the Margao Municipal authorities had turned a blind eye to the illegal hutments even though the sewerage issue is under the scanner of the High Court in the Public Interest Litigation filed by Navelim citizen Prof Antonio Alvares.
Inquiries have revealed that what has been unearthed at Malbhat is just a tip of the iceberg. If officials are to be believed, similar illegal hutments leased out to tenants are existing at many places in the city, raising questions over the safe disposal of the sewage and waste water generated in these illegal houses.
In fact, an inspection had revealed that the hutments and katcha houses have even come up on the embankment of storm water nullahs joining the River Sal at Khareband. That’s not all. A MMC official informed that a person has converted his low-lying property into dozens of cubicles and leased out on rent to the tenants. “These cubicles are not connected to the underground sewerage project. The waste generated by the inhabitants are released and disposed of in the drains, which later find its way into the River Sal and other water bodies,” the official added.
Take the case of the Malbhat hutments. The police had found that the owner had obtained a lone power connection and water connection before issuing dozens of connections to the inhabitants. This has raised a serious question as to how these illegal katcha houses, which according to the Margao police had escaped the attention of the authorities, including the Margao Municipal Council, besides the Power and Water Supply departments.
“Just imagine the amount of waste generated in the 80-odd katcha houses inhabited by the hundreds of tenants. Has any of the authorities even taken pains to find out the mode of sewage and waste water disposal from the units, more so when the sewage issue is being monitored by the High Court,” an official questioned.
The official has added by saying that the Margao Municipal Council has not prepared a plan of action in identifying all the illegal hutments and katcha houses which have come up in the city, but are not connected to the underground sewerage line.
Sewage panel seeks feasibility of vacuum tech for Margao
MARGAO: The Core Committee constituted to monitor the sewage and waste water by commercial establishments and residential houses has told the PWD, Sewerage Department to find out the feasibility of implementing the vacuum technology in densely populated areas of the commercial capital.
The PWD, Sewerage has been further told by the Core Committee to prepare a plan which will shed light on the areas in the commercial capital connected to the underground sewage project and areas which are still left out of the sewerage scheme.
The Core Committee meeting was chaired by Margao Municipal Engineer Deepak Desai in the absence of Chief Officer Melvyn Vaz, wherein the PWD, sewerage to submit the feasibility of the vacuum technology in the densely populated areas of the city by May 15.
Sources said the panel has asked the PWD to verify and check whether the 154 households in the city have obtained sewerage connections after they were issued notices by the Margao Municipal Council.
The Margao Municipality had issued notices to 154 households in the city after they were found disposing of their waste water in the storm water drains. However, in reply to the show cause notices, many of the households replied back saying they have complied with the directions of connecting their premises to the sewage network. “The Core Committee has requested the PWD, Sewerage to verify how many households have connected their premises to the sewerage network,” informed a member of the Core Committee.
