MARGAO
Officials of the Goa Sewerage and Development Infrastructure Corporation has a task at hand. Newly-elected Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas has mooted a novel proposal to utilise millions of litres of treated sewage water of the Colva Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) for gardening and other purposes by the hotel sector under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
There’s, however, a big catch “ how and who will the get the business stakeholders avail the treated sewage water and transport the same to their establishments for gardening and other purposes.
While the newly-elected MLA is confident enough that the measure will save the cost of laying a 1.9 km pipeline to discharge the treated water from the Colva STP to the river Sal at Khareband and help conserve water, officials of the Sewerage Corporation remain tightlipped over the proposal, requesting the MLA to discuss the proposal with the Corporation head and the government.
Officials further pointed out that the MLA or the government should first set up a mechanism whereby the treated sewage water is availed by the business stakeholders, with a dedicated line, and sounded a word of caution that the treated water may remain in the tank for want of disposal.
The proposal mooted by the MLA is simple “ build an additional 15 MLD tank near the STP to hold the treated water, before the stakeholders avail the treated water for gardening and other purposes. “This proposal will help save at least Rs 1 crore as it would not require laying of the underground line to the river Sal to discharge the treated water,” Venzy told the media after an inspection of the STP on Thursday morning.
“The underground line, connecting the STP to the river Sal, will cost the exchequer Rs 3 crore. If we build a 15 MLD water tank at the STP site to store the treated water, it will cost Rs 1.5 crore. In fact, if the line to the river Sal is discontinued, we will save the government Rs 1.5 crore. We will create history like the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi by saving the money and will ensure we save the people’s in the best method,” he said.
Venzy added: “We can tie-up with the hotels and Tourism department to avail the water stored in the storage tank. If the hotels lift the water, the government can give them tax exemption. The hotels will get the branding.”
Residents of Pedda-Benaulim have raised strong objections to the laying of the underground line passing through their water, fearing the work would devastate the internal roads. They had also questioned why the line is not connected to the river Sal at Mungul, instead of taking the line to the river via Pedda.
Sewage officials, in private, however, said the line is being taken to the river via Pedda in view of the gradient issue near the Mungul railway bridge.
