Team Herald
MARGAO: The Fisheries Department Director Sharmila Monteiro chaired a meeting at the Head Office Panjim on Friday, November 13 to address concerns raised by Velim Civic & Consumer Forum and GOACAN regarding the need for adequate toilets to address the sanitation issues at Cutbona Jetty.
Solutions are being worked on to resolve the sanitation issue and need for toilets at Cutbona Jetty to take off on World Toilet Day.
The meeting was attended by Agnelo J Severes, Vice Chairman, South Goa Mechanized Boat Owners Co-operative & Marketing Society Ltd; Vinay Tari, Cutbona Fisheries Co-operative Society Ltd; Roland Martins, Co-ordinator GOACAN; Brijesh Singh, Sulabh International; and Chandrakant Velip, Deputy Director Fisheries Department.
Underutilization of existing public toilet maintained by Sulabh International was discussed and it was decided to incentivize the usage of the toilet by introducing a pass system to avoid payment per usage and to encourage toilet usage among the fish workers. It was also decided that Behavioural Change Communication (BCC) programmes must be introduced to discourage open defecation.
It was also decided that a formal request for mobile toilets as a stop-gap arrangement will be made to Swacch Bharat Mission (Rural) Government of Goa so that the setting up, maintenance, and costing will be discussed and appropriate service provider be identified for the same
Progress of the setting up of the 50 seater toilet with the required STP was discussed and a status report will be prepared to identify tasks to be undertaken in the 60 days with the Town & Country Planning, Department & Directorate of Health Services, and the Goa State Pollution Control Board.
The Director stated that there are many schemes under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMSSY), which are being promoted in Goa by the Fisheries Department; one of these is the establishment of bio -toilets in mechanized fishing vessels. The scheme has a subsidy component as well. This was seen as a step towards creating good sanitation standards and encouraging the usage of toilets per se.
It was agreed that if such bio-toilets are to be set up and used there must be appropriate awareness created among all the stakeholders.
Given that ‘Sustainable Sanitation and Climate Change’, is the theme for the World Toilet Day, which will take place on November 19 – it was agreed that a presentation on the setting up, usage, and sustainability of bio-toilets will be made at the Fisheries Sub Office in Cutbona, Velim on Thursday, November 19.
The meeting also took stock of the fact that poor sanitation and open defecation in water bodies, pollution of the seas, dumping of plastic waste in the rivers are some of the factors that are affecting the fish catch and therefore there must be an awareness campaign on this matter. It was agreed upon that this subject could be addressed during the observation of World Fisheries Day on November 21. It was agreed upon that the issue of conservation of fish resources in general and Goan Fish varieties, in particular, must be deliberated upon further.
