MARGAO
The contaminated river Sal and the picturesque Salpem Lake in Navelim had its echo in the Rajya Sabha when the issue of river pollution was raised by Rajya Sabha MP Luizinho Faleiro.
In reply, the Centre has said that 11 polluted rivers have been identified in Goa in 2018, out of which river Sal falls under the Priority Class III, with Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) content between 10-20 mg/l.
In a reply to an unstarred question raised by Faleiro, Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ashwini Kumar Choubey further informed that action plans for rejuvenation of Polluted River Stretches (PRS) have been prepared by the four-member committee called Rejuvenation River Committee constituted by the Goa government, under the overall supervision and coordination of Principal Secretary, Environment of the concerned State/Union Territory.
The Minister pointed out that the prepared action plans cover aspects such as source control (municipal sewage management, industrial pollution control, waste management), river catchment/basin management (adoption of good irrigation practices, utilization of treated sewage, ground water recharge aspects), flood plain zone protection and its management (setting up of bio- diversity parks, removal of encroachments, rain water harvesting, plantation on both sides of the river), ecological/environmental flow (E-Flow) and watershed management.
“The progress of implementation of action plans is reviewed by the RRC at State level and Central Monitoring Committee (CMC) constituted under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti at Central Level”, he further stated.
In his unstarred question on the pollution on River Sal, Rajya Sabha MP sought answers on whether most of the sewage water and other hazardous domestic waste are dumped into the River Sal; the number of times the sewage plants located in Sirvodem, Margao have released the sewage into the River Sal, if so, the action taken against the erring officials; and whether Government is aware of the report from Goa State Pollution Control Board showing the details of release of sewage in River Sal and in Salpem Lake, if so, the details of steps taken to remedy the situation.
The Minister further pointed out that the pollution in rivers and other waste bodies is increasing mainly due to rapid increase in population and resultant wastewater generation. “The development of wastewater treatment facility is not commensurate with the increasing wastewater generation in urban centres”, he said in his reply.
The reply further stated that during the Year 2018, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had identified 351 polluted river stretches (PRS) on 323 rivers on the basis of analysis of water quality data of rivers monitored under National water quality monitoring programme (NWMP) for the years 2016 and 2017 and distributed into five Priority classes based on the maximum Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels such as P-1 (>30 mg/l) to P-II (20-30 mg/l), P-III (10-20 mg/l), P- IV (6-10 mg/l) & P-V (3-6 mg/l).
In Goa, 11 polluted river stretches have been identified in 2018, out of which River Sal is under Priority Class III (BOD between 10-20 mg/l), the reply added.
