NT Reporter
Curchorem
Incessant rainfall over the past week raised the water level of the Zuari tributary at Hodar, causing floodwaters to enter the under-construction sewerage treatment plant (STP) at Curchorem.
The incident has renewed concerns of locals and environmentalists, who had earlier warned that building the STP in a low-lying floodplain was a major ecological
and safety risk.
The site has already drawn scrutiny for large-scale violations, including cutting mangroves, filling catchment areas, and blocking stormwater flow. Villagers said that after the swollen tributary entered the STP compound, nearby agricultural fields and residential areas also faced backflow.
The project has been controversial from inception. Multiple inspections by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) and the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) have noted violations, while MLAs across parties flagged how faulty sewage plants were damaging fields and water bodies. Despite this, the government has maintained that the Curchorem STP does not require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), citing past court rulings.
Local residents say the project violates safeguards meant to protect sensitive riverbanks and demand the plant be shifted to a scientifically
viable site.
Activist and complainant Aditya Dessai said, “This flooding has proven what we have been warning from the beginning that constructing a sewage treatment plant inside a river floodplain is a disaster waiting to happen. The swollen Zuari tributary has now entered the plant itself, which clearly shows the threat to both the environment and public safety. The government cannot ignore the repeated violations and hazards. We demand immediate relocation of the project to an appropriate site before irreversible damage is done.”
The incident has reignited calls for an independent technical review of the project and accountability of officials who permitted construction in the river zone.
