Says within 1-2 years most areas will be connected to an operational sewerage system
Faecal coliform reading high due to monsoon season
TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar Wednesday refuted the news that the Mandovi river waters are polluted, saying that it was fit to bathe and drink.
“The Mandovi river water is safe for drinking. It is the cleanest in the State,” the chief minister said the water was checked in January and the monitoring indicated levels of faecal coliforms which are marginally above stipulated limits across the study area, showing an average of 112 (Range 20-330) (unit 100/100ml (MPN).
Other rivers like Chapora, Mapusa, Valvanti, Khushawati, Khandepar, Sal and Zuari have a higher coliform content, he claimed adding that the total coliforms (TC) and faecal coliforms (FC) have increased significantly particularly during the monsoon due to increased run-off, of surface sediments into the natural water bodies.
“In the rainy season the count goes up. At the point where the green tribunal had asked for the count was 112MPN,” he said adding that the figure will come down if there is sewage treatment plant and if and when facilities improve, these figures will come down.
He said that they have to get most parts of the state connected to a sewage system and this will take Rs 2000 crore.
“At the moment we are doing Margao, Vasco and an additional part of Panjim. We will be taking up Ponda, Porvorim and Cortalim constituencies,” he said, adding that within 1-2 years most areas will be operational.
Further, the GSPCB had conducted a monitoring programme on the order of the NGT Western Zone Bench, Pune, dated 16th January 2014 regarding application no. 228/2013. The Board has collected and analysed water samples at midstream of river Mandovi from the mouth of the river to the old Mandovi bridge at six locations along the navigation canal. The period of sampling was from 27th January 2014 to 31st January 2014.
The parameters monitored as per the classification are colour/odour, floating matters, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, faecal coliform and biological oxygen demand.
