Margao: In a joint effort to curb pollution in River Sal, Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) officials, along with sarpanchs from coastal villages and local residents, conducted an inspection of five major pollution sources on Wednesday.
The GSPCB initiated a three-day inspection following a complaint and memorandum submitted a week earlier by the Benaulim Congress block and panchayats from the coastal belt. The exercise involved officials from the PWD (sewerage section), Sewerage Infrastructure Development Corporation of Margao, Margao Municipal Council, and Urban Health Centre, Margao.
“We pinpointed the five main identified sources of pollution flowing into River Sal, commencing with the South Goa District Hospital nullah, followed by the SGPDA market, the Old Market nullah near the Comba circle and concluding at Karelem, Khareband. Waste is allegedly being discharged from the South Goa District Hospital into the nullah, despite Medical Superintendent Dr Rajendra Borkar’s assertion that the hospital released only treated water,” said Cavelossim sarpanch Dixon Vaz.
He said that they brought the SGPDA market point and the severely stinking areas of the nullah at Old Market, Margao, where raw sewage is being released, to the attention of the inspection team.
A fourth site at Comba was also inspected, where it was found that sewage was being released directly from chambers. “The final location, Karelem, Khareband, is a disaster. Shanties have been erected directly atop sewage discharge points, rendering correction impossible, according to officials. We have presented the evidence of these points. It is now up to the authorities to undertake immediate and decisive action,” said Vaz.
The inspection began at the Sewerage Department, followed by field visits, including the nullah near the South Goa District Hospital, where representatives sought clarification over the discharge of “treated water”. At the SGPDA site, officials said corrective measures would be taken.
GSPCB officials, who did not engage with the media, recorded observations and were of the view that shanties at Karelem, Khareband need to be demolished to stop untreated waste from entering the river.
