Team Herald
PONDA: Choked with garbage and sullied by pollutants, multiple nullahs in Ponda are on the verge of turning into gutters. The nullahs at Haveli, Nagzar, the fish market and other areas have become hotspots for the dumping of garbage and pose grave danger to the natural drainage system of the town.
The water from the creek flowing from Betora towards Curti, Kavlem and Bandora panchayats were once used for agriculture as well as for bathing. Last month, a nullah at Nagzar was contaminated with chemical discharge from a factory based in Betora. The incident received attention only because Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik was present for the Chatt Puja that was conducted at this nullah. He later demanded that the errant factory be shut down, but there has been no follow-up since then. “More than 100 farmers from Kavlem panchayat area were dependent on the water flowing through these creeks. The polluted water has hit farming badly,” said former sarpanch of Kavlem Rajesh Kavalekar.
“A letter has been written to the WRD to install iron mesh at both sides of the nullah which flows through the panchayat. The panchayat will be removing the plastic waste accumulated in the creek,” said Curti Sarpanch Naved Tehsildar.
