Photo caption.
PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar and Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado inspecting the STP plant at Sirvodem. Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
It’s official. PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar on Friday asserted that the sewage problem facing Margao city as well as the discharge of sewage in River Sal will be resolved only after two Sewerage Treatment Plants “ a 20 MLD plant and 7.5 MLD plant “ under construction at Sirvodem are commissioned later this year.
He also announced that the government would tender work on the Rs 26 crore project to replace the damaged underground sewage line passing through Fatorda area within two weeks.
Briefing the media after inspecting work on the STPs at Sirvodem along with Navelim MLA and Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado, the PWD minister said that two plants will take care of the sewage disposal requirements of Margao city, Navelim and neighbouring constituencies of Salcete.
"While the 7.5 MLD will be completed by March end, the 20 MLD plant will be commissioned around June end. Civil works of the two plants is almost complete, while the mechanical and electrical work will commence soon. We have already received the equipments of the 20 MLD plant," Sudin said.
When the media pointed out to him that sewage water finds its way in River Sal, contaminating the water body, he expressed his helplessness in the matter, other than saying that the solution lies in the early commissioning of the two STPs under construction at Sirvodem.
He replied in the negative when questioned whether raw sewage from the 7.5 MLD plant is released directly in River Sal without treatment. “It’s true that the existing STP is facing some problems, but I do not agree that raw sewage is released directly into the river," he said.
The PWD minister also ruled out release of treated sewage water into the storm water drain without treatment by chlorination. “No doubt, the chlorination plant is not functional, but the water is given dose of chlorination before its release from the plant," he stated.
Govt to return acquired land to owners
MARGAO: Land losers from Navelim, whose agricultural fields were sought to be acquired for a buffer zone around the Sirvodem sewage plant, during the tenure of former PWD minister Churchill Alemao, have some good news in store for them.
PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar told the media that the government would return the acquired land to the land owners after denotification. “After local MLA Avertano Furtado took up the issue of the land losers, the government has decided to return the land back to the owners. We will retain only the minimum land required for the buffer zone," Dhavalikar said.
He pointed out that the land losers can start cultivating the fields all over again with the treated sewage water from the nearby Sirvodem STP. “The treated sewage water can be used for drinking and for irrigation under the C-Tech technology. However, since people will not use the water for drinking purpose, the treated water can be certainly used for irrigation," Dhavalikar said.
