Firm gets 7 days to reply; failure may lead to suspension or closure
MAPUSA
The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has issued a show-cause notice to Hindustan Waste Treatment Pvt Ltd, the company operating the Saligao waste treatment plant, after laboratory analysis confirmed alleged contamination of natural springs and water bodies in Gauravaddo, Calangute.
The action comes in the wake of a complaint filed by the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC), which flagged possible seepage from the plant’s effluent treatment systems. A team of GSPCB officials inspected the site last week and collected water samples from nearby sources.
Preliminary observations suggested untreated effluents had been discharged into stormwater drains, which in turn flow into natural springs and wells in the surrounding residential areas.
Laboratory test reports later revealed serious deviations from permissible limits. Parameters such as turbidity, chloride, total dissolved solids, ammoniacal nitrogen, boron, iron – and even toxic hexavalent chromium – were found to be significantly higher than the safe limits prescribed under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.
“This points to serious lapses in the functioning of the effluent treatment plant (ETP), which is supposed to safeguard against exactly this kind of discharge,” a senior official of the GSPCB told The Goan on condition of anonymity.
“We cannot ignore the risk posed to groundwater and natural springs in the vicinity. If the company fails to provide a satisfactory explanation, we will have no choice but to consider closure,” he added.
In its show-cause notice, the Board has directed the company to explain why operations should not be suspended for failure to effectively operate its ETP. The unit has been given seven days to respond, after which the GSPCB has warned it may proceed with closure directions without further notice.
The contamination fears have caused alarm among local residents of Gauravaddo, who rely on nearby wells and springs for daily water use. Community leaders have already demanded strict accountability, arguing that the plant – set up to solve the waste crisis in North Goa – must not end up creating a new environmental hazard.
The Saligao waste treatment plant, commissioned in 2016 and often showcased as a model waste-to-energy project, has in recent years faced criticism over odour issues, capacity constraints and environmental compliance lapses.
