HC seeks report on sources of pollution
Panaji : The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) in an interim report filed before the High Court of Bombay at Goa has said the faecal coliform bacteria level in the Mandovi river remains high.
The report was filed as regards a PIL concerning pollution in Mala Lake and the Mandovi.
The High Court on Monday asked the amicus curiae and the state government to place on record a report regarding the sources of pollution and the measures to be taken.
According to Advocate General Devidas Pangam, the report indicates that the overall condition of the river is good, but faecal content levels remain uniformly high.
The board is now working to identify the source of the contamination. Further surveys will be conducted across various creeks, discharge points and drainage systems to trace the source of pollution.
The court was informed of the proposed measures, and the matter will be heard further after the amicus curiae submitted suggestions and the authorities responded with details of the steps they plan to take.
The interim environmental study on the Mandovi has found that 100 per cent of water samples tested during the 2026 monsoon season exceeded safe microbial limits for faecal coliform bacteria.
The GSPCB has clarified that the report represents an interim assessment and forms part of an overarching three-season study mandated by the judiciary. The final phase—post-monsoon sampling across the 22 locations—is scheduled for late October and November 2026, with a comprehensive technical evaluation due before the High Court in December 2026.
However, the report indicates that offshore casinos are not responsible for the contamination; instead, domestic drains and nullahs, most notably the heavily polluted St Inez Creek, are discharging untreated sewage into the river.
The interim findings were submitted by the GSPCB pursuant to directives from the High Court. The court had earlier raised concerns over alarming bacteriological contamination in the river stretch between the Mandovi bridges and the IFFI jetty, an area where offshore casino vessels and marine tourism crafts operate.
The water-sampling exercise was conducted on August 24, 2026 at 22 designated locations across the Mandovi estuary, covering both high- and low-tide cycles. Of the 44 samples tested, every sample exceeded the Central Pollution Control Board limit of 100 MPN/100 ml for faecal coliform. Faecal coliform counts ranged from 130 to 540 MPN/100 ml during high tide and spiked to between 130 and 940 MPN/100 ml during low tide.
The highest contamination level—940 MPN/100 ml was recorded downstream of the anchored casinos, near the river mouth and along the Panaji shoreline. Elevated counts were also recorded upstream of the Mandovi bridge and near the cruise boats jetty.
During the June 2026 sampling, 16 of 36 samples met the permissible limit during high tide. The board noted that a weaker monsoon during June, July, and August 2026 reduced seaward flushing, allowing microbial loads from terrestrial runoff to concentrate in the estuary. While bacteriological indicators raised red flags, the estuary’s overall physico-chemical health remains robust.
Addressing the question raised by the High Court, the GSPCB has confirmed that offshore casinos were compliant with wastewater-handling protocols. The board has said that regular inspections and verified logbooks demonstrate that sewage and wastewater generated aboard the vessels are pumped directly into specialised sewage barges and transported to the sewage treatment plant at Patto in Panaji; payment records have also been verified.
The High Court had expanded the scope of its suo motu PIL on dead fish floating in Mala Lake to include the Mandovi line area to remedy the water pollution.
The court had stated that the main issue that needed to be addressed would be the very high quantity of faecal coliform bacteria present in the river.
The court had directed the GSPCB to conduct a quantitative and qualitative study and prepare a report on the quality of water within the Mandovi.
