MARGAO
As the discharge of raw sewage in the river Sal, contaminating the lifeline of Salcete, takes the center stage, a host of questions may come to stare at the Ministers, MLAs, officials and the citizens in general “ why is sewage still flowing in the river through the stormwater nullahs when a sewerage network is in place in Margao?
Soon after taking over the reins of the PWD post-2022 Assembly election, PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral was on record saying while the government has spent crores of rupees on laying the sewage infrastructure, the issue of connectivity remains unresolved, throwing up questions “ why the commercial establishments and housing societies dotting the city are still not connected to the sewage network?
It’s an open secret that the stormwater nullahs are carrying raw sewage and wastewater to the river Sal instead of the Sewage Treatment Plants, throwing up the same old question “ how many more years will it take for the politicos and the Babus to convince the citizens to go for the sewage connection and stop the sewage flow into the river Sal.
Officials in private maintained that sewerage network has been existing in many parts of the city, but the sewage is still flowing into the drains and storm water nullahs. Reason: Households and commercial establishments have still not connected their premises to the underground sewage network as a result of which the sewage flows into the drains.
A case in point is the establishments located along the nullah, emanating from the city before culminating at the Kudchadkar hospital. When the issue came under High Court scanner in the Public Interest Litigation filed by Navelim villager Antonio Alvares to save Salpem lake from contamination, an inspection by the Margao Municipal Council revealed over 100 violators, mostly hotels and eateries, for discharging the sewage and wastewater in the drains.
It’s another matter that the Margao civic body has run out of ideas on how to plug the sewage flow from these commercial establishments into the drains, but that the inspection unearthed over 100 violators indicates the extent of raw sewage discharge by these establishments in the drains and nullahs.
Sewage and PWD officials also seemed confused about how to get all the premises in the city connected to the underground network.
PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral was categorical in saying the sewerage network issue staring at the commercial capital, including Margao and Fatorda should hopefully end by May 2023. The PWD Minister may have to grapple with a million-dollar question -- whether the PWD and the SIDCGL are geared up to ensure that all households and establishments are connected to the network before the next monsoons.
