MARGAO: Following criticism from the High Court of Bombay for Goa regarding the disposal of plastic waste into the Salpem nullah, the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) has commenced
efforts to clear the plastic and other non-biodegradable waste from the water body. Simultaneously, farmers are urging a lasting resolution to the waste challenges they face.
Incidentally, the HC is scheduled to take up this matter for a hearing on Wednesday, January 24, while the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) had also recently issued a series of directions to the MMC Chief Officer (CO).
Interestingly, the nullah still contends with the influx of untreated sewage. Labourers, armed with nets and metal forks, are actively involved in the cleanup around a well. Additionally, heavy machinery is deployed to extract and dispose of the waste.
MMC officials added that directives have been issued to the Water Resources Department (WRD), instructing them to undertake desilting measures for the nullah.
Despite these actions, farmers dismiss the efforts as a mere facade aimed at misleading the High Court, emphasising that plastic waste from Margao persists in contaminating the nullah, designated as a stormwater drain.
Farmers continue to express concerns over the uninterrupted flow of raw sewage, impacting their ability to cultivate fields. They insist on a definitive solution to this problem, asserting that some fields are left fallow due to sewage incursion.
In an advisory to the municipality, they have suggested that authorities install nets as a preliminary measure to prevent plastic waste entry into the nullah. Warning of self-initiated action if authorities do not intervene promptly, the farmers have also threatened to bury the nullah until a permanent solution to the sewage discharge issue is implemented.
