MARGAO
With the burning issue of discharge of sewage and waste water into the city drains coming under the High Court scanner, the Margao Municipal Council has finally decided to crack a whip against the individual households and commercial establishments found violating the provision of the Goa Municipalities Act.
After identifying around 150 households and establishments along the stretch of the storm water nullah, starting from the Margao flyover (near the Old Railway gate) to the Kudchadkar nullah, the Margao civic body has started issuing show cause notices to the violators.
In fact, in separate show cause notices issued under Section 197 and 224 of the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968 and rules made there under and under Section 41 of the Goa Public Health Act, 1985, Chief Officer of the Margao Municipal Council, Gaurish Sankhwalkar has directed the individual households and establishments to show cause why a penalty of Rs 5,000 should not be imposed for discharging, disposing, releasing sewage/waste water into the farming fields and the Salpem lake at Navelim.
The households have been further told to show cause why the matter should not be referred to the Health Officer and the Assistant Engineer for the disconnection of water connection so as to avoid nuisance and health hazard in the locality within seven days from the date of receipt of the notice.
What prompted the Margao Municipal Council to crack a whip against the erring establishments is the exercise launched by the civic body’s sanitary section to unearth waste water pipes discharging waste water into the drains.
To the surprise of the civic officials and workers, around 150 households and establishments had laid waste water discharge pipes under the drain slabs, responsible for the rampant discharge of waste and sewage water into the Kudchadkar nullah which later finds its way into the picturesque Saplem lake in Navelim.
If MMC officials are to be believed, what has been unearthed during the exercise initiated by the civic body is just the tip of the iceberg. “We have identified around 150 households and establishments discharging waste and sewage water into the storm water nullah. There may be many more such houses and establishments along the stretch of the nullah,” informed an official in the know.
The official added: “Given the magnitude of the problem, we expect the agencies including the Sewerage Infrastructure Development Corporation, the Public Works Department to also intervene to bring about a permanent solution.”
Questions are raised whether the PWD or SIDCGL have laid an underground sewage network in the area from the Old Railway gate to the Kudchadkar hospital and whether the households and establishments have declined to obtain the sewerage connections.
Last year, the High Court had in the PIL filed by Prof Antonio Alvares issued directions to the Margao Municipal Council to take measures to get the 145-odd housing colony at the Azad Nagar locality connected to the underground sewage line.
Will councillors, babus display political will in getting sewage flowing into nullahs plugged?
MARGAO: Will the Margao councillors and the Municipal babus display political will and find out the source of the waste and sewage water from the Municipality-owed Gandhi market and the adjoining Malbhat area flowing into the Kudchadkar storm water nullah?
This question assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the fact that a joint inspection of the storm water nullahs led by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) last month had exposed how the nullahs connecting the Gandhi market and Malbhat were carrying waste and sewage water into the storm water nullah.
Incidentally, while MMC Chief Officer Gaurish Sankhwalkar has started the exercise to issue show cause notices to the 150 households and establishments, the area around the Gandhi Market and Malbhat do not figure in the scheme of things.
In fact, the Chief Officer is under the scanner of officials of other agencies since the operation to stop the rampant discharge of waste and sewage water into the Kudchadkar storm water nullah will not be complete till the source of the waste water flowing from the Gandhi Market area and Malbhat are finally plugged.
