MARGAO
The contaminated Colva creek at the entrance to the world class Colva beach is back in the news again, but for all the wrong reasons.
Photographs of black coloured stagnant water doing the rounds on the social media on Thursday again revealed that all isn’t well with the creek waters hit by sewage contamination and waste dumping.
Petitioner in the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the High Court, Judith Almeida was quick to question the authorities responsible towards the maintenance of the creek and the failure by the PWD to commission the Colva Sewerage Treatment (STP) plant till date.
Judith demanded to know why the plan to put up a wire mesh in order to prevent dumping and disposal of dry waste into the creek has not been implemented till date. “If you see the photograph, plastic waste has been dumped into the creek. The Water Resources Department should have taken preventive measures to stop waste dumping into the creek,” she said.
Saying the black coloured water stagnating in the creek is nothing but sewage and waste water discharged into the water channel, Judith demanded to know why the Colva STP is not being commissioned till date. “There seemed no urgency on the part of the PWD to commission the STP which would have paved the way for the hotels and business establishments to the plant,” she demanded to know.
She added: “This is the time of the year when Colva plays host to thousands of visitors to the iconic beach. The contaminated creek does not augur well when Colva beach is being considered as an iconic beach. The menace has to end somewhere. The authorities should not further delay in the commissioning of the STP.”
