MARGAO
The Water Resources Department (WRD) has agreed in principle to implement the GeoTube technology as a pilot project to plug the stormwater nullahs from carrying raw sewage and wastewater into the river Sal.
Even as Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas roped in a consultant from Delhi to inspect river Sal at Khareband along with the WRD team headed by Executive Engineer Ankush Gaonkar on Wednesday, the WRD has agreed to introduce the GeoTube or Geobag technology to plug the sewage flowing into the river as a pilot project.
The WRD agreed to implement the technology after the Delhi consultant, after an inspection of the Khareband stormwater nullah, sounded positive about the success of the technology in mitigating pollution. “The WRD will take up the pilot project at the Khareband stormwater nullah on an experimental basis to check the efficacy of the technology. If the technology achieves the desired results, the same can be implemented on the remaining six stormwater nullahs carrying sewage into the river Sal,” Gaonkar added.
The WRD senior official pointed out that various measures carried out by the government, such as de-weeding of the river, have failed to rejuvenate the river for want of any provision to treat the sewage water coming from the nullahs before entering the river.
Given that the GeoTube technology is a costly proposition, the WRD will move the file for financial sanction to take up the work.
The Benaulim MLA said that the Delhi consultant has been roped in to study the river and implement the GeoTube technology after a nod from WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar.
“The consultant has inspected the Khareband nullah and its bad condition. I had taken up the issue of sewage discharge into river Sal on November 4 last. Two months have passed and none of the six stormwater nullahs has been plugged to date,” he said.
Venzy added: “I had written to the Chief Secretary, the district Collector on the contamination of river Sal by the raw sewage discharge. Meetings and inspections have taken place since then, but the ground reality has not changed for the better to date. I do not know who is accountable to which authority.”
Coming out strongly in support of the GeoTube technology to arrest the flow of raw sewage water into the river Sal, Venzy said: “Let the government then decide whether it is willing to implement the technology at the remaining five nullahs discharging sewage into Sal," while reminding that somebody is responsible for the flagrant violation of the environmental norms, including the Chief Minister.
