MARGAO
Guess what this green carpet is all about that has raised its head near the Navelim-Benaulim bridge site under construction at Sinquetim?
Well, any stranger might mistake the thick green carpet for a green zone, but in reality, it’s nothing but a thick carpet of weed invading the river Sal.
Indeed, even as the Water Resources Department (WRD) on Saturday launched a Rs 24 crore rejuvenation of the Verna-Nuvem-Fatorda stretch of river Sal, the downstream stretch is craving attention. Apart from the non-stop discharge of raw sewage into the river by the six stormwater nullahs, the river has been invaded by the fast-growing water hyacinth weed, covering a significant portion of the river.
Take note, the government had twice desilted and de-weeded river Sal in the last five years, but failure to plug the raw sewage has not helped to improve the ground situation.
A senior official further pointed out that the WRD had taken up desilting and de-weeding of river Sal, with a condition mandating the contractor to de-weed the river every year. It’s not clear whether the maintenance clause in the contract has lapsed or whether the contractor is mandated to take up the de-weeding exercise before the onset of monsoons.
Officials in the know informed that that water hyacinth weed grows and spreads fast in river Sal given the continuous discharge of raw sewage. “The thick carpet of the water hyacinth weed, which is presently invading river Sal along the Navelim stretch may affect the marine life,” the official added.
He, however, underscored the need for a holistic solution to the river Sal, saying that piecemeal measures have not helped rejuvenate the river, but on the contrary drained the taxpayer's money over the years.
The Goan understands that while river Sal was desilted and de-weeded in the last five years, the desilting was taken up over a decade and a half ago along the Mungul-Khareband bridge stretch. “The government should introspect whether the piecemeal desilting and de-weeding of Sal have helped its rejuvenation. Desilting Sal will not help rejuvenate the river unless the government takes steps to plug the discharge of raw sewage from Margao and Fatorda,” the official added.
The government had on Saturday launched the Rs 24 crore river Sal rejuvenation project near the wholesale fish market, Fatorda which included the construction of a barrage, installation of an aeration system, desilting from Verna lake to the Fatorda, besides the tributaries along the stretch.
