River Sal’s condition deteriorating

River Sal, which was almost two coconut trees deep (local measure for checking depth of rivers) in areas of Benaulim, has now been silted to such an extent that villagers claim one can wade through the river now. This has reduced the water holding capacity of the river causing flooding of the River Sal.

The water floods habited areas every monsoon. Ever since the visit of the Chief Minister to the Western Bypass road site there has been a constant effort from the local MLA as well as the Government to get the river Sal dredged. Though the Government is willing to get the river cleaned the people want it to remain as it is. Having said that a study, conducted by the GSPCB of this river, suggests irreparable damage to the sacred river.

The increase in tourism development of housing and other factors like land scarcity has resulted in a mega development spree in Goa especially in Margao. This ever expanding mega-housing has not only substantially increased the pressure on lands, roads’ natural resources but also is continuously degrading the pristine and historic River Sal.

To make matters worse dumping of waste and sewage into the River Sal, bluntly ignoring the consequences, has been rampant for decades now. The commercial establishments on the river banks, including the wholesale fish market in Seraulim, disposes huge amount of waste into the river. No one seems to have concrete plans, and technically sound methods to effectively get rid of the waste dumping in a sustainable and innovative way and efficiently prevent unavoidable future disruption of the existing ecological balance and the quality of water of the River Sal.

The increasing dumping of waste into the sacred river Sal consists of sewage/drainage flowing off from more than thousands of households from Margao and coastal villages. Vast quantities of garbage consisting mainly organic and non-degradable plastic material has also made its way into the river making it all the more polluted. Chlorinated water from the swimming pools built within the residential areas has also contributed in changing of the entire ecosystem of the river.

These factors are definitely going to have adverse damaging impact on the physical and cultural environment of the Salcete and the locals now expect support and timely intervention of green justice to prevent further damage to our environment.

The dredging of the tributaries of River Sal was done some years back. The dredging of the stretch of the tributary from Jaknibandh Navelim right up till Mandopa bridge and further from Aquem Baixo bridge till Boptiawaddo Davorlim was be taken up.

However, the good news is that the Central government approved the project to abate pollution of River Sal at Navelim in Goa at an estimated cost of Rs 61.7 cr. However, the unprecedented discharge of sewage into the river has further deteriorated the river. Even as the Government makes attempts to connect the sewage lines into the sewerage system, several nallahs, small rivulets and distributaries are still discharging lakhs of litres of sewage into the river.

The garbage pollution from the filth that is being strewn along the riverside is eventually making its way to the river and is polluting the heritage of River Sal. Unlike some of the sectors that may have to be looked into by the new endeavour is carried out urgently, things will go out of hand, said one Navelim resident who stays close to the river.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had, in 2015, identified a river stretch at Navelim as one of the 302 polluted river stretches across the country based on bio-chemical oxygen demand (BOD) levels   a key indicator of organic pollution showing water quality.

The cost of the project, covering the setting up of sewage treatment facilities and sewer network, will be shared equally between the Centre and State government.

The project was approved by the Union Environment Ministry last week under its National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) which covers 31 rivers (other than Ganga and its tributaries) in 14 states.

"The Sal River cleaning project will reduce pollution and improve water quality and sanitation in Navelim town. Idea is to take up the polluted river stretches one-by-one for cleaning under a comprehensive plan in other states as well", said an official.

Not too long ago the entire River Sal desilting exercise had been carried out by spending Rs 9 cr but that has gone down the river Sal.

The Chief Minister has been on record that the River Sal is in need of dredging which can run into crores of rupees. The project sanctioned to abate the pollution of the river may help the cause to quite an extent. However, there is a requirement for massive awareness drive with the society as there is no seriousness shown in keeping the river clean.

Till date all along the River Sal at the wholesale Fish Market, fish waste is being dumped into the river.

“All along the River Sal, especially at the Wholesale Fish Market, fish waste is being dumped into the river, downstream raw sewage lines are let into the river, ahead of that the waste from slaughter houses is being dumped into the river which is unethical,” said Amey Audi from Benaulim.

This plight of the river has already been shown and spoken by many people. An activist from Margao was even forced to approach the High Court over this bizarre issue that one department is cleaning the river and one is polluting the river. Crores have been spent to clean the river which is public money but the river is back to its blackened form now.

All along the banks of river Sal, from Khareband bridge downstream, raw sewage is directly released into the river. Even the Sulabh Souchalaya and sewage network chambers are released into the river. People concerned about the issue have filed police complaints but no action was taken.

The most disgusting fact is the dumping of animal waste into the river by the slaughter houses and the MMC is turning a blind eye to all the mess there.