MARGAO
In response to the alarming discharge of untreated sewage in Margao's drains and storm water nullahs, the High Court has asked the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) to submit sample test reports based on their inspection of the city's drains conducted earlier this month.
While adjourning the hearing in the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Prof Antonio Alvares to February 14, the court has also told the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) to file progress reports detailing the status of the storm water nullahs. Additionally, the Village Panchayat of Navelim has been directed to be impleaded as a respondent in the petition, with notices issued to the Panchayat body.
The Bench comprising of Justice M Sonak and Justice Valmimi Menezes took up the matter in detail for about 45 minutes with the Margao municipality facing a barrage of questions on the situation, especially on the pollution of the Salpem fields.
Petitioner Alvares informed that since the affidavit only speaks of sewerage connections given and areas which are left where no sewerage line exists, the bench sought to know from the MMC about the pollution in the lake. He said the recently conducted inspection report compiled by GSPCB has clearly shown sewerage coming from six different places. “There was no mention of this in the affidavit. The GSPCB was asked to file a test report of the sewage flowing into the storm water nullah,” he said.
Appearing in person, Alvares asserted that the responsibility for treating sewage from the storm water drain or nullah does not solely lie with the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). “An STP plant is only supposed to take sewage from the sewerage network. But they also take the sewage from the nullah from November to May. However, during the rainy season the sewage is released in the fields while the cultivation is going on,” he said.
Alvares further demanded that the MMC take measures to monitor and control the release of sewage in gutters and other areas, insisting that gutters and nullahs should only carry storm water and nothing else.
MMC to conduct joint-inspection with PWD officials
With the High Court issuing directions to the Margao Municipal Council to file progress reports regarding the release of sewage water into storm water drains, the Council is mulling an inspection with officials of the Water Resources Department to identify the sources of discharge of raw sewage in the drains.
Since past inspections of the nullahs have revealed no letup in the rampant discharge of raw sewage into the water channels, the MMC is now planning to embark on an exercise to identify the possible sources of sewage discharge in the drains.
