Margao: Despite crores of rupees being spent on desilting and rejuvenation efforts, nearly 1.5 km of the Sal River from Kharebandh to Benaulim remains covered with a thick layer of water hyacinth. Former chairperson of the Navelim Biodiversity Management Committee, Celly Coutinho, said, “The excessive vegetation is harmful to the river’s ecosystem. The river suffocates due to a lack of oxygen and alterations in the water’s chemical composition.”
She said that the over growth of vegetation is due to nutrient content that has supported the aquatic plants.
“This will impact other organisms living in the water, such as fish and larvae,” Coutinho said. “People treat water bodies like garbage bins, dumping waste carelessly, but this has serious consequences for the river ecosystem. The overgrowth of vegetation blocks sunlight from penetrating the water, further harming aquatic life.”
Residents living along the riverbanks reported that the condition of the Sal River has worsened due to chicken slaughter waste being dumped into the water, along with the continuous flow of raw sewage.
They said that the water emits unbearable stench late in the evening when the wind pattern changes making it extremely difficult for residents to breathe.
It may be recalled that the state government had undertaken desilting at a cost of over Rs 8 crore in three phases to rejuvenate the river after the river was found to be highly polluted.
Benaulim residents have urged the government to find a solution to stop the discharge of raw sewage and other pollutants into the Sal River. They said that merely removing the water hyacinth will not save the river unless the sources of pollution are effectively addressed.
