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MARGAO
MMC Chief Officer Y B Tawde told The Goan that the civic body is awaiting report from the GSPCB to initiate action against the erring buildings discharging sewage into the storm water drains which empties into the lake. “The joint inspection was undertaken as per the directions in a writ petition in the High Court. The inspection had found that the buildings in the immediate neighbourhood of the lake are not connected to the sewerage network,” Tawde said.
What’s interesting to note is the fact that sewage find its way into the Salpem lake not just from the immediate neigbourhood, but from the entire city through the Kudchadkar and other storm water nullahs.
Margao officials in the know, however, said that cracking a whip against the buildings in the immediate neighbourhood may not solve the issue given that the commissioning of the sewerage network is delayed for want of commissioning of the sewage treatment plants or the underground line. “How can the authorities or the GSPCB blame the owners of residential buildings if sewage from the city finds its way into the Salpem lake when the sewerage department is yet to commission the two state-of-the-art sewage treatment plants till date,” a civic official said, admitting that while most of the building owners are ready to connect their units to the underground line, the sewerage network is still not ready.
A couple of years ago, MMC had stepped in to disconnect water supply to a couple of buildings around the Salpem lake, but beat a hasty retreat after realizing that the entire area was not covered by the sewerage network.
