Staff Reporter
Margao
After a six-year wait, the farmers of Nuvem and Davondem-Fatorda are finally set to heave a sigh of relief as the Sewerage and Infrastructural Development Corporation of Goa Limited (SIDCGL) and Public Works Department (PWD) Division XXI prepare to inaugurate the new sewer line from Arlem to Fatorda by March 25th.
The old sewer line in the area had been plagued by several leakages, which had resulted in the drainage of sewage into the Boktim tollem of Nuvem and other catchment areas.
This severely impacted the livelihoods of hundreds of local farmers, who were forced to put their cultivations on hold due to the contamination.
“The leakages in the old sewer line had been a constant source of obstruction for us. The sewage was draining into our fields, causing skin infections and other health issues for the farmers. We had complained to the authorities about it in the past,” said Everson Vales, a Congress leader from Nuvem who had been actively pursuing the matter with the district administration, SIDCGL, PWD, and Water Resources Department (WRD).
The sewerage department, along with the PWD, had promised the farmers that the new sewer line would be commissioned by March 2025, after carrying out the works for three long years. However, the farmers’ patience was exhausted, and therefore they had even threatened to take legal action if the authorities failed to address the issue.
“This Boktim tollem was a crucial source of water for our rabi crop cultivators, and its contamination had a significant impact on our livelihoods. Now that a new sewer line is laid, we all hope that sewage leakages will stop and we will be able to harvest the natural water source for agricultural productivity,” said a farmer, JS Fernandes.
A natural waterway, nullah, that runs from Arlem to Fatorda and eventually connects to the River Sal after entering Nuvem, was traditionally blocked with a sluice gate at Nuvem to divert water to the Boktim tollem area, providing a valuable resource for the farmers. However, the contamination of the nullah and tollem had deprived the people of these benefits.
It may be recalled that Vales had previously written to the South Goa Collector on November 8, 2024, detailing sewerage line malfunctions in Dovandem and the slow progress of infrastructure projects. The district administration held several meetings with the stakeholders to speed up the sewage networking system.
