Team Herald
PANJIM: The Public Health Department got cracking on pollutants of River Mandovi by disconnecting their water and electricity supply on Saturday.
After a 15-day notice was issued to the erring residents, the Health Centres have started issuing orders for disconnection of water and electricity.
The orders issued to PWD and Electricity Department state, “With reference to the NGT matter on riverine pollution the notices were served to residents in Mala, Ribandar, Taleigao, St Inez, who have not complied with to the directions contained in the said notice till date and nuisance is being continued unabated.”
“Hence as per amended Sub Section (5) of Section 40 of teh Goa Public Health Act 1985, you are hereby requested to disconnect/cut-off the water supply for… for creating nuisance with immediate effect till abetment of nuisance under intimation to this office,” the order states.
After the order issued on October 4, PWD has started disconnecting water lines in Mala, sources told Herald.
Sources further revealed that over a dozen people, who were letting out sewage into water bodies, rushed to Panjim MLA Atanasio Monserrate, who has called for a meeting on Monday.
The Health Department action came after the order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Kashinath Shetye & Others Vs Srinet Kotwale & Others of Febraury this year, regarding remedial steps for preventing and curing pollution in River Mandovi in Goa.
According to the applicants, the river is being polluted by discharge of untreated sewage. The application was filed before the Tribunal in 2014.
The Court refered to a report filed in November 2017, which had identified the problem areas as Porvorim, Reis-Magos, Britona, Nerul, Candolim and Mayem and to the South side as Taleigao, Se Old Goa, Goltim-Diwar, Corlim and Carambolim.
The report stated that notices under Section 40 of Goa Public Health Act, 1985, were issued to the commercial establishments. NGT had also directed GSPCB to assess the amount of compensation to be recovered and the persons from whom such recovery is to be made.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said residential units and societies leaving raw sewerage outside will face disconnection of water and electricity under the Public Health Act if they are violating the law.
Rane said that officers and doctors have been given powers to take immediate action. Pointing to unhygienic conditions leading to pollution in the river, he said, “Those who are not complying on NGT decision on sewage will face action. Officers have been told to disconnect the electricity and water lines under the Public Health Act,” he said.
He said the department has so far issued 800 notices to those leaving raw sewerage outside.
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Water supply to 11 houses stopped
PWD disconnected water supply connections of 11 houses – four at Mala and seven at St Inez – due to a lack of sewerage facilities on Thursday. CCP has received a list of around 122 houses and has disconnected connections to 11 houses where waste water is directly released into the creek and the sea. CCP is now supplying drinking water to these houses through water tankers and has ordered that bio-toilets be installed at both places. “This order was given by the NGT due to no sewerage facilities in these houses. The work order has been received for the sewerage line. We have told the contractor to start the construction. This work will take around three months to complete. We had a meeting with our MLA Atanasio Monserrate, and decided that we will provide 11 bio-toilets to these houses. About water supply, we will provide water until they will not receive their water connections,” Mayor Uday Madkaikar said.
