Local fear: Panjim’s ‘sewage bomb’ could explode during monsoon

Team Herald

PANJIM:  Monsoon may be just a few weeks away, but the fear of the State’s capital city getting flooded during the downpour with sewage making its way to their homes has gripped the residents of Panjim.

They have raised apprehensions that the sewerage networks, which are already choked, will lead to overflow of raw sewage onto roads and reach their doorstep during the ensuing monsoons.

The residents’ apprehensions are the fallout of PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral’s statement that the damage caused to the old sewer lines at St Inez will be “fixed” and roads will be temporarily repaired.

 A retired PWD engineer claimed that the old sewer lines, which have been damaged at St Inez, were laid way back in the 1970s. He added that the hurried execution of the infrastructure works under the Smart City Mission has resulted in poor quality of work which makes one question its durability.

“For over three years, the IPSCDL (Smart City Mission vehicle) has not carried out any major work it was entrusted with. Even today, IPSCDL lacks a full-time Managing Director or General Manager, this has resulted in haphazard works and misuse of public funds on account of no coordination between the executing authorities and lack of proper guidance, supervision of work by the contractors,” he added.

It is pertinent to note that the contractor executing the work of laying new sewer lines in the city has damaged the old lines as a result of which, the manholes and the sewerage chambers got blocked and sewage overflowed on the road at St Inez.  

“The sewer lines are damaged and the temporary work will not last long. You will see the overflowing sewage from chambers and damaged sewer lines getting mixed with rainwater, which will lead to a health hazard. People of Panjim should expect the worst during the monsoon,” said former CCP councillor Menino da Cruz.

Former Mayor and senior councillor Surendra Furtado said, “Extensive damage has been done to the sewerage networks not only in St Inez, but across Panjim. Sewer lines run parallel to drinking water supply and electricity lines; there is a high possibility of sewage entering the water pipeline leading to an epidemic. The damage caused is bad and patchwork will not help. Temporary restoration of sewer lines and road repair will get washed off during monsoon. Let’s hope for the best.”  

Datta Prasad Naik, hitherto with the BJP said, “Most roads in the city are just four-metre wide with water and sewer lines beneath. So is there hardly any space left for a new sewer line? I had expressed these concerns when the tender was floated in a haste as the Smart City funds were about to lapse. But nobody addressed my concerns and the project was executed without an action plan.”

City resident Adv Rui Ferreira said, “Before performing any surgery doctors ask for investigation reports. Here we see surgeries performed without any investigation and without referring to old reports. There is absolutely no coordination between the departments concerned. The government was in a hurry to spend Central funds on so-called “development” to receive kickbacks and we are suffering now.”