NT Reporter
Margao
With almost no takers for sludge generated from processed sewage—despite it being a rich source of manure—the Public Works Department may use it to develop green space within the buffer zone of the sewage treatment plant. The proposal is at the planning stage.
PWD sources said that although the department has been providing sludge free of charge, it now occupies vast tracts of land at the plant due to poor public response.
“We were hoping to break the myth around the use of sludge. it is in tremendous demand in other states and difficult to obtain due to high demand, but in Goa there are no takers despite it being a very good manure source, particularly for coconut plantations,”
he said.
People have apprehensions about sludge, which is a by-product of treated and settled sewage, he said.However, after treatment it becomes a rich source of manure, free from chemicals, the source said.
“The department has vast tracts of land acquired decades ago that currently lie fallow, and sludge could fertilise the soil to create a green cover in the buffer zone around the sewage treatment plant, with treated water available onsite for irrigation,” he said.
The source said that in Karnataka, the sludge is in very high demand and difficult to get, adding there is also an option to make the manure available to farmers outside the state.
He said the department does not charge farmers, who only need to arrange transport to load it.
The official said the plant’s augmentation to 46 MLD requires provisions for disposing of larger volumes of sludge, with new connections expected in Navelim, parts of Margao and Fatorda.
