PONDA: Despite the urgent need to safeguard underground water bodies from sewage contamination, three Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) projects initiated six years ago at Kavlem, Bandora, and Undir in Ponda are yet to see completion.
The projects aim to enhance environmental sustainability by treating sewage and preventing its direct discharge into natural water sources, but various hindrances have prevented them from seeing the light of day.
The Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) has a 15 Million Litres per Day (MLD) STP at Kavlem, inaugurated recently, but it awaits full-scale operations due to pending work and incomplete household connections to sewer lines. Approximately 250 houses are currently connected to the sewer lines, with efforts ongoing to expand the coverage.
At Undir Bandora, a proposed 15 MLD STP faces delays in construction despite the completion of sewer line networks. The treatment plant’s construction was initially hindered by objections from local residents. Officials report that all necessary permissions have now been secured, and they can now begin landfilling at the proposed site.
Another STP, an 8 MLD facility planned for Housing Board-Curti, is also in limbo due to objections from locals. Although much of the sewer line network is in place, the construction of the treatment plant has yet to begin.
Sewerage officials provided assurance that the 15 MLD plant at Kavlem is functional, with trials conducted and numerous houses connected to the treatment facility. “Initiating connections to every household is a continuous process. Following opposition from locals, the work on construction of Undir Bandora STP and Curti STP was delayed, but now it will start soon as the government has given all permissions for the project,” said the official.
