Viegas demands action on neglected Colva creek

Staff Reporter

Margao

Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas on Thursday called for regular maintenance and cleaning of the Colva creek, which has become an eyesore, especially given its location on Colva beach.

During an inspection of the site along with Water Resources
Department (WRD) officials and Colva panchayat members, Viegas said he would like to organise an event near the creek if it was cleaned.

“We have been trying to find solutions to this issue. We had suggested deploying a worker to clean the creek daily, but the proposal was shelved, citing high costs.
The WRD has estimated Rs 25 lakh for maintenance—should we spend this amount to clean the creek, or leave it in its
current state, worsening Goa’s tourism image?”
said Viegas.

The MLA said that they have requested the department to clean the area and explore ways to treat the water.

“With high tides, the polluted water flows into the sea, so it must be cleaned before that happens.”

Viegas said that during Mickky Pacheco’s tenure as minister, an annual ‘Beach Bonanza’ event was held at Colva. “I appreciated that event, and I wish to revive such a programme in May. But for that to happen, the creek must be cleaned,” he said.

Panch member Teresa Silva, who was also present, said that raw sewage discharge into the creek remains a recurring issue. “Colva is called an iconic beach, but it doesn’t look like one. The nearby toilet block is releasing sewage directly into the creek, causing garbage accumulation. This needs urgent attention. Cleaning the beach is the need of the hour,” she said.