Team Herald
Mapusa: Faced with the potential threat of disease outbreak in these COVID times, local residents living near St Mary’s School, Mapusa raised concerns on sewage water overflowing from a septic tank near the school on Saturday and demanded immediate action from authorities.
The issue of overflowing sewerage on the roads of Mapusa city have become a common problem from past several months. The people living in the vicinity of St Mary’s school have been bearing the stench emanating from the sewage. However the authorities have failed to react till now.
Parents and local commuters said that the students studying in the school are forced to walk through the sewage water. In the process, their feet get wet, which may cause skin infection. Apart from that, mosquitoes are breeding on this sewage, making them vulnerable to vector borne diseases like malaria and dengue.
Commuters pointed that at a time when people have been badly hit by pandemic already, they can’t afford another health risk.
“We have raised this issue but concerned officials at Mapusa Municipal Council but they have failed to act. We are forced to visit them repeatedly. But there is no sign of action. We are tired requesting them to resolve this problem,” a parent said.
“This is a primary school so the children are prone to get infected with malaria and dengue. The Mapusa Municipality and the health department should act on this,” another parent said.
