MARGAO
Guess the status of the Goa State Pollution Control Board’s fiat to the meat stalls in the SGPDA mega retail market to stop discharging wastewater in the drains or face closure?
Well, the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) and the Planning Body’s Member Secretary Sheikh Ali are in the spotlight. For, the beleaguered meat stall vendors are willing to comply with the Pollution Control Board norms. They have all applied to the GSPCB for Consent to Operate and have also applied to the PWD, Water Supply to obtain commercial water connections for their stalls in the bustling SGPDA mega market complex. In this respect, the SGPDA had even issued No Objection Certificates to the meat stall owners to obtain the water connections from the PWD.
There’s, however, a big catch “ how and where will the wastewater generated in the meat stalls go in the absence of a Common Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) at the facility? That’s not all. The SGPDA market complex is not even connected to the PWD’s underground sewerage line to facilitate the disposal of wastewater in the sewage line.
The prevailing situation has put the SGPDA in a tight spot. For, the Goa State Pollution Control Board has issued a letter to the SGPDA on September 17, wherein directions have been issued to the planning body to ensure that the discharge from the entire SGPDA Market Complex is connected to the PWD sewerage network.
In fact, the SGPDA has issued a direction to the PDA and the authorities to ensure that the facility of sewer line construction is provided to the SGPDA Market Complex within 15 days. Based on the GSPCB directions, SGPDA Member Secretary Sheikh Ali has now dashed off a letter to the Principal Chief Engineer, PWD to allow the connection of the sewerage line to the PWD sewerage network to facilitate the meat vendors to discharge the wastewater.
The moot question, however, remains unanswered “ when will the SGPDA get the market complex connected to PWD sewerage underground line and help stop the discharge of wastewater in the storm water drains?
A Pollution Control Board official told The Goan that the ball now lies in the court of the SGPDA to get its market complex connected to the sewerage line.
“As per our directions, the meat vendors operating in the SGPDA market complex have all applied to the Pollution Control Board for consent to operate. They have all agreed to abide by the pollution control norms vis-Ã -vis the disposal of meat waste. But, the issue now lies with the SGPDA since they have to get the market complex connected to the underground sewerage line,” the GSPCB official remarked.
Planning body sends SOS to PWD for connection to sewerage line
South Goa Planning and Development Authority’s SOS to the Principal Chief Engineer, PWD with a plea to provide the facility of sewerage line connection from SGPDA Market to the main sewerage line for the chicken, mutton, beef and fish vendors operating in the PDA mega market complex has kicked up a debate of sorts “ whether the wastewater generated in the market complex is to be treated by an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) or by a Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP)?
The SGPDA was caught on the wrong foot when the Goa State Pollution Control Board issued closure notices to the meat vendors to stop discharging the wastewater in the open drains or face closure. For, many pointed out that it is the responsibility of the planning body to provide a Common Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) to treat the wastewater generated in the mega market before the treated water is discharged into the drains.
Now, instead of setting up an ETP for the treatment of effluents, the SGPDA has knocked on the doors of the Principal Chief Engineer, PWD with a plea to connect the market complex to the underground sewerage line, throwing up a moot question -- whether the underground sewerage line is meant to treat the sewage or both sewage as well as effluents, including wastewater generated by the meat stalls.
A GSPCB official, however, begged to differ. He pointed out that there is no harm in releasing the wastewater generated by the meat stalls in the SGPDA market complex in PWD’s underground sewerage line.
“We have tested the water samples of the effluents discharged from the market complex. Our study shows that there will be no harm if the wastewater from the market is channelized into the underground sewerage line,” he said.
