MARGAO: The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has directed a fish-canning company located at Sao Jose de Areal to halt all its operations and seal its pipelines found discharging effluents outside its premises, until it presents an action plan for the remediation of the fields and the heritage nullah in the area.
The directive, issued to Seahath Canning Company, comes after alert villagers raised the alarm over black, malodorous effluent contaminating their nullah two days ago. On Wednesday, the GSPCB had collected water samples and followed the flow of the contaminants to the source.
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During their inspection, officials made a few shocking discoveries- the storm water drains near the plant were clogged with rotting fish waste and black water infested with maggots, dry sludge was seen elsewhere, among a long list of other compliance and cleanliness lapses, including burning and dumping of dry waste. Water samples taken from the discharge points of the factory’s effluent treatment plant contained higher quantities of chemicals and faecal bacteria than is permitted. Representatives from the factory have been asked to explain their lapses on June 30. The same unit had been sealed for contaminating a pond in the vicinity in 2014 as well.
