MARGAO
June 8, 2021. A high-level panel headed by then Environment Minister, Nilesh Cabral, Environment Secretary Kunal, besides senior officials of government agencies had come across a revelation that while storm-water nullahs in the commercial capital ought to dry up by February-end, these water channels were carrying the city’s sewage to the adjoining river Sal round-the-year.
It’s exactly 10 months now, and the ground reality hasn’t changed for the better. The storm-water nullahs continue to carry millions of litres of raw sewage, leaving the river Sal contaminated -- identified as among the most polluted rivers in the country under category III by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) having BOD level range between 4.2 “ 16.8 mg/lit.
Amongst the host of senior officials, a Goa Pollution Control Board’s junior engineer was part of the inspecting team that had inspected the city’s storm-water nullahs on June 8 last year.
Even as the fate of the inspection and the panel’s recommendations remain unknown, or whether the exercise has ended in futility, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has now ordered inspection of the storm-water nullahs in the commercial capital and submit an action taken report to the Board.
The GSPCB’s proposed inspection comes against the backdrop of a petition filed by a resident of Navelim Antonio Alvares, complaining of the devastation of the once picturesque Salpem lake by the sewage water discharged into the water body from neighbouring Margao.
The moot question, however, remains unanswered “ have the departments concerned, including the PWD, sewerage, adopted any concrete measures to plug the sewage disposal into the nullahs, or are the recommendations made by the Nilesh Cabral-led panel confined to the dusty record books.
For an answer, The Goan team descended on a couple of places inspected by the Cabral-led team on June 8, 2021, only to find that the ground reality has remained unchanged.
A casual walk down the Comba ring road, the very place inspected by the team last year, revealed millions of litres of sewage water flowing into the river Sal day in and out via the storm-water nullah. That’s not all. Visitors to the District Collectorate confirmed that foul odour emanates from the storm-water nullah passing by the entrance to the imposing building.
And, a recent inspection of the Kudchadkar nullah in the city by Margao Municipal Council officials has confirmed that the ground reality has not changed for the better in the last 10 months post-inspection.
Remarked a senior MMC official: “The civic body has issued around 60 notices to business establishments dotting the Kudchadkar storm-water nullah after the High Court direction.
But a solution to the sewage-disposal problem lies somewhere else. The PWD, sewerage, should shoulder the responsibility of overcome issues and release the house connections and also put the entire sewerage network in place on priority.”
