NT Reporter
Margao
The Sewerage Infrastructure Development Corporation of Goa Limited (SIDCGL) is set to begin releasing sewer connections in Navelim as part of Phase I of the project.
A notification states that SIDCGL will take up house sewer connections in Mandopa, Dongorim, Rosary College, Buticas Nagmodem and surrounding areas in the Navelim constituency as part of Phase I.
Foundation stone for the project was laid by PWD Minister Digambar Kamat in November 2025, and the project is expected to be completed within a year.
SIDCGL had missed several deadlines to complete the Rs 293 crore project, which was originally expected to be commissioned
by 2019.
The development assumes significance as the 26.5 MLD sewage treatment plant at Sirvodem is operating at full capacity, while work on the 20 MLD sewage treatment plant based on SBR technology at Sirvodem has just commenced.
The project was delayed by nearly eight years due to the sinking of sewage chambers, with residents of Nagmodem still facing problems related to chamber subsidence.
The Navelim panchayat and the village development committee recently held a meeting with corporation officials and sought submission of project details to the village panchayat.
Villagers had also red-flagged the ongoing work, alleging substandard construction of manhole chambers, raising concerns over the pipeline connecting the manholes.
The department has,
till date, failed to submit project details to the Navelim panchayat, even as several parts of Navelim have reported sewage chambers overflowing due to rainwater seepage.
Villagers said the sewage network was laid over a decade ago and has become vulnerable to leakages due to various factors, including substandard workmanship.
They demanded that
the department give an undertaking identifying officials who would be held responsible in case of leakages and contamination
of groundwater.
They further said that in Nagmodem, sewage chambers collapsed on at least three occasions due to the soft nature of the soil, as the department failed to conduct soil testing, leading to apprehensions of possible leakages once the lines are commissioned.
