Perhaps for the first time ever, the River Sal passing through the villages of Navelim and Telaulim is being desilted by the Captain of Ports as part of an ambitious project to restore the river’s pristine glory “ once considered the lifeline of Salcete. While heavy machinery is working overtime to desilt the river upstream right up to Khareband bridge, there’s, however, no stop to the flow of sewage water into the river along it course. As leaking manholes is literally the order of the day along the Margao sewage network, sewage water carried by the storm water drains from the commercial capital into the river has not stopped either, all contributing to the sewage odour emanating from the river.
The desilting work has added another dimension to the sewage problem. As the river desilting work has ensured smooth flow of water along the Navelim-Telaulim stretch after the removal of silt and trimming of mangroves, the sewage stink has raised its ugly head along the river course downstream at Benaulim and Varca.
Says social activist and small hotelier, Serafino Cota: “It’s indeed sad that there’s no holistic solution to the problems plaguing River Sal. I have come across complaints that sewage odour has not hit the river downstream post the desilting work. The government cannot take up desilting on one hand and fails to stop the sewage water from flowing into the river along the Margao stretch. No purpose will be served by taking up the desilting work only
in patches.”
Former Margao Municipal Council chairperson, Savio Coutinho lamented that while one government department has taken up work on the desilting of River Sal, the river is, on the other hand, being polluted by another department.
“It is high time that people wake up and realise that all this is nothing but a waste of public money,” he claimed.
Inquiries by The Goan have revealed that while the desilting work is expected to be complete in a month’s time, the two state-of-the-art sewage treatment plants under construction at the Sirvodem plant are still not ready for commissioning. While the 20 MLD plant may take another four months for its commissioning, the 7.5 MLD plant is nearing completion, but the commissioning may be delayed because of the
electrical work.
A senior PWD engineer told The Goan that the department will have no option than to continue with the existing 7.5 MLD plant for treatment of the daily sewage generated in the city. Incidentally, there have been reports that the existing STP has not been functioning as stipulated norms, thus contributing to the stinking environment in River Sal.
