Team Herald

BAGA: Untreated sewage and contaminated water is being released on Baga beach through a 24-inch pipe next to Café Laval, Bar and Restaurant. This fact came to light when some students went on a beach cleanliness drive.

Furnishing a video and photos of sewage being released into the Baga beach, Dr Antonio Mascarenhas said that this was a blatant violation of CRZ rules as a sandy beach is classified as CRZI Zone. Mascarenhas is a former NIO scientist and former member of the GCZMA.

“It is dangerous to the ecology of the beach as it can affect the life on the beach and benthic fauna such as crabs and shells. It can also affect the humans who use the beach. It will also pollute the sea water and is hazardous for tourism and tourists as well. Being a CRZ-1 zone as well as an intertidal zone any release of garbage or sewage is simply not permissible,” pointed out Mascarenhas.

“Those indulging in this act of releasing sewage should go behind bars. The person or people have the audacity to do such a thing should go behind bars,” Mascarenhas contented.

Premanand Divkar, the president of Calangute Constituency Forum, said that discharge of sewage water into Baga beach went unnoticed due the heavy monsoons. “We do not know who is discharging the sewage as it is coming out from a 24-inch pipe. This is a very dangerous act as this water is entering into the sea. We will report this to the authorities concerned,” Divkar said.