CALANGUTE: The Calangute panchayat and the health officer jointly inspected a “polluted” field at Naikawaddo near St Alex Church in the village on Tuesday morning.
The inspection was conducted following a complaint by a farmer that his field was contaminated with sewage, rendering the land uncultivable during the current monsoon season.
In a written complaint to the panchayat, Alexio D’Souza, said that his field is contaminated due to discharge of sewage from the houses built on the bandhs.
Sarpanch Shawn Martins told Herald that they conducted a site inspection on Tuesday and warned the people not to release sewage into the field.
“Health Officer Parsekar along with officials from the Calangute panchayat visited the site. It was found that there was an overflow in a kitchen pipe outlet and septic tank. The Health Officer will issue them 15 days’ time to comply with the required measures and re-inspection will be carried out,” Martins said.
The aggrieved farmer Alexio D’Souza opined that that the discharge of sewage into the fields at Naikawaddo would not stop.
“The Health Officer went and warned the people who are releasing sewage in the paddy fields to refrain from doing so. They gave them 15 day’s time to comply with the same. In front of the officer and other officials they were openly releasing their sewage in the culvert. I don’t think there is a cure to this problem,” he said.
