Restaurant owners refute role in Colva creek contamination

Colva restaurant owners inspect the contaminated Colva creek on Wednesday, along with activist Simao Rodrigues.

MARGAO
As the contaminated Colva creek has raised a stink again, with sewage and wastewater stagnating in the water body, restaurant owners operating on the banks of the creek claimed that the wastewater is flowing into the creek from a stormwater nullah, polluting the water body.

Kentucky restaurant owner Mathew Diniz, along with other owners, on Wednesday told the media that they are in no way responsible for the discharge of wastewater or sewage into the creek. In fact, Mathew said he and other restaurant owners operating near the creek have all applied for sewage connections. Pending the sewage connections, Mathew pointed out that he engages night soil tankers to lift away the sewage and waste from his septic tanks. “Why should the restaurant owners discharge their sewage or wastewater into the creek? If there is someone who is most affected by the discharge, it is the restaurant owners,” Mathew said. He showed receipts of the money spent on the seven night soil tankers engaged by him to lift away the sewage.

Saying that the restaurant owners are all in favour of connecting their establishments to the Colva STP, Mathew said the owners have made applications for the connections, with some of the applications pending for want of road-cutting permission.

He and other restaurant owners pointed accusing fingers at the stormwater nullah connecting to the creek, claiming that wastewater from the nullah flows into the creek, contaminating the water body. “It is for the authorities to identify the people responsible for discharging their sewage and wastewater into the creek,” he added.

Meanwhile, Colva-based activist Simao Rodrigues urged the government departments to cooperate with the restaurant owners and release the sewage connections. “When the restaurant owners are willing to take the sewage connections, the department should be proactive in processing the applications and releasing the connections on priority,” Simao said, while expressing happiness that the restaurant owners have all volunteered to obtain the sewage connections.