MARGAO
It’s official. The iconic Colva beach will not play host to the treated sewage waste from the Colva sewage treatment plant (STP) under construction near the village football grounds. Instead, the Sewerage & Infrastructure Development Corporation will discharge the treated sewage in the river Sal by laying a dedicated line, linking the STP to the river.
As the Corporation is bracing up to resume work on the stalled project as part of the plan to commission the over Rs 100 crore project by December 2021, with officials descending on the Colva panchayat to seek permission, SIDC officials say the laying of a dedicated pipeline, estimated to cost around Rs 11 crore will help on two counts: One, address the concerns of Colva villagers that discharging the treated waters in the sea will spell doom for tourism and, secondly, the dedicated line will help maintain e-flow in the river, especially during the summer months.
Agitated Colva villagers including local MLA Churchill Alemao had opposed the discharge of the treated sewage water in the sea, saying any such move will spell doom for tourism at the world-famous beach.
That the SIDC is gearing up to resume work on the stalled projects became evident when officials of the Corporation made their presence felt in the panchayat for a nod.
SIDC Managing Director P B Sedalkar told The Goan that the Corporation has shelved the plan to discharge the treated sewage waste in the Arabian sea. “Instead, the SIDC will lay a pipeline connecting the STP to the river Sal. This solution will address the concerns of the villagers and also help maintain the water requirements in the river Sal during the summer months,” Sedalkar said.
He added: “The SIDC will soon float a tender inviting bids to lay the pipeline connecting the STP to the river Sal. The pipeline is estimated to cost around Rs 11 crore.”
Work on the state-of-the-art Rs 23 crore STP is nearing completion, with Sedalkar claiming that around 90 per cent of the work on the plant being completed to date. He, however, said that the project will be commissioned by December 2021 after laying the sewer lines.
Presently, the SIDC has completed around 70 per cent work on the sewer line network in the village, exuding confidence that the networking work should be completed by December next year.
The 7.5 MLD sewage treatment plant is expected to cater to the sewage requirements of the tourist village and surrounding areas. Incidentally, one of the objections raised by the villagers against the STP is why the village should accept sewage waste from the neighbouring areas, demanding that the government set up similar facilities in the respective villages.
Sedalkar informed that discharging the treated sewage water in the River Sal will help maintain the e-flow in the river, which will see a turnaround as part of the River Sal Rejuvenation plan. “Continuous flow of water, more so in the summer months, will help maintain the e-flow in the river Sal, which is presently under the scanner of the National Green Tribunal,” he added.
