MARGAO: Concerns have risen regarding how the Margao Municipal Council (MMC), Sewerage Infrastructure Development Corporation of Goa Ltd (SIDCGL) or PWD’s Sewerage Department will address the widespread discharge of raw sewage into storm water drains by numerous households and businesses.
It may be recalled that MMC had recently convened a meeting with representatives of various government departments/agencies, involved in the High Court-monitored action plan to stop the discharge of sewage into the storm water drains in and around Margao.
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According to the minutes of the meeting that was chaired by the MMC Chief Officer, despite having been issued warnings of water disconnections to about 200 households and businesses over a month ago due to the sewage discharge, the civic body now faces challenges in verifying claims denying connections to storm water drains.
While some households claim connections to underground lines, sewage charges are absent from their water bills.
Moreover, the issue persists at the Osia Commercial Arcade, near SGPDA Market Margao, where show cause notices have been issued, yet the problem remains unresolved despite requests to PWD officials to address sewage disposal.
Furthermore, it was revealed that Urban Health Centre Margao (UHC) is yet to conduct inspections despite show cause notices, prompting a decision by MMC to escalate the matter to the Directorate of Health Services (DHS) and the Margao UHC for immediate action.
Elsewhere, while SIDCGL has notified MMC about clearing seven out of eight applications for house sewerage connections in the Calconda area, challenges also loom in connecting households to underground lines, particularly in congested areas such as Malbhat-Calconda, where laying sewerage lines faces spatial constraints, as highlighted by a senior PWD official.
In response, a report has been drafted by PWD and forwarded to the PWD’s head office to engage an expert agency for executing the necessary work, though decisions regarding this engagement remain uncertain.
