PANAJI
Demands for urgent action against the discharge of untreated sewage into the Mandovi River have intensified after an interim environmental study revealed alarming levels of faecal contamination in the river, prompting citizens and elected representatives to call for a closer scrutiny of the capital city's sewerage management system. CCP councillor Jack Sukhija said the discharge of untreated sewage into the Mandovi remained the "biggest and most grave threat" to the river's health and urged authorities to audit and commission sewerage infrastructure created under the Smart City project.
"The sewerage lines laid in Ribandar as part of the Smart City project have still not been commissioned. This must be audited and checked," Sukhija said.
The interim report, submitted before the Bombay High Court's Goa Bench, found that all 44 water samples collected from 22 locations along the Mandovi during high and low tides in August this year contained faecal coliform levels exceeding limits prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board. At some locations, contamination levels were reported to be as high as 9.4 times the permissible limit.
The study identified untreated domestic sewage, urban drains and the heavily polluted St Inez creek as the principal sources of pollution entering the river. Significantly, the report stated that the floating offshore casinos anchored in the Mandovi were not responsible for the bacterial contamination detected in the samples. The findings, however, have been met with scepticism by members of the citizens' pressure group Ponjekars Against Casinos.
"The findings are not surprising. We can all see and smell the daily degradation of the Mandovi," said Chryselle D'Silva Dias, a member of the group whose residence overlooks the river. She said earlier findings had indicated elevated faecal coliform levels around the offshore casino vessels and questioned how the latest report could conclusively rule out the casinos' role in river pollution. Another member of the group called for a detailed audit of sewage generated by the casino vessels.
"Do the numbers add up? Is the volume of sewage offloaded at treatment plants proportionate to the number of passengers and crew on board? If not, authorities must determine where the balance is going," the member said. The final technical report identifying the precise sources of contamination is expected to be submitted in December.
