MARGAO: The Margao Municipal Council (MMC) has finally submitted the drainage network map of Margao to the High Court in response to concerns about the discharge of sewage water into Salpem Lake at Navelim.
The civic body, upon the court’s extension, also submitted an affidavit outlining an action plan to prevent the flow of sewage water into the rivulet and Salpem Lake through the nullahs.
As per the court’s suggestion and petitioner Antonio Alvares’s recommendation, the MMC has been directed to upload the drainage network map on their website, making it accessible to the general public. Antonio Alvares, a resident of Navelim, had filed a petition before the High Court seeking directives for authorities to take measures to halt the release of sewage into Salpem Lake and the nearby rivulet of River Sal.
In October, officials from the agriculture department, along with farmers, inspected the Salpem Lake, finding it contaminated due to sewage discharge from drainage and nullahs across Margao.
Farmers had also brought the issue to the attention of Ravi Naik, the Minister for Agriculture, seeking intervention to address the nuisance in Salpem Lake.
Responding to the High Court’s directions, the MMC prepared a drainage map using the services of Turbo Sketch-Margao.
The court had earlier instructed the MMC to finalize the drainage plan for Margao in coordination with the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA).
