MARGAO
As part of the River Sal rejuvenation project, the culvert near the Margao wholesale fish market has been fenced with mesh netting to stop waste dumping into the river.
The project, undertaken by the Water Resources Department (WRD), is intended to stop unscrupulous elements from disposing of waste, including thermocol, into the river.
The culvert across the River Sal near the wholesale fish market has been a waste dumping point over the years, with gunny bags laden with waste being dumped from the culvert into the river. Thermocol waste too has found its way into the river from the culvert, leaving the river contaminated with waste.
WRD Executive Engineer Gipson Miranda told 'The Goan' that the department has taken the initiative to put a stop to the rampant dumping of waste from the culvert into the River Sal. “We had come across tonnes of waste in the river, dumped from this particular point. The wire mesh erected on both sides of the culvert is intended to stop open dumping of waste in the river,” he added.
Incidentally, the WRD had built a barrage in the river close to the culvert with water aerators as part of the River Sal rejuvenation project. However, the project has not achieved its full potential due to the rampant discharge of leachate from the adjoining wholesale fish market into the River Sal.
The aerators are also not working to their full capacity for want of a dedicated power supply, leaving WRD officials to operate the aerators on a power generator.
