SANGUEM: The Selaulim water treatment plant which supplies water to south Goa has been constructed in the 1990s and the plant is almost outdated in terms of the technology used today. Also at present, the plant is without the services of a chemist. This work is being handled by a lab technician, ever since the chemist went on maternity leave some six months ago.
“Moreover, the mixture of alum in the water treatment process is kept to the bare minimum on account of low turbidity of raw water at the plant. If the alum mixture is increased, those companies using the Selaulim water for bottling purposes complain that increased alum affects their water bottling units,” said assistant lab technician, Gajanan Naik. He also said that due to increased demand for water supply, there is virtually no time for the treated water to settle down.
This was disclosed to two BJP legislators — Sanguem MLA Subhash Phaldessai and Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral – who visited the Selaulim plant on Thursday, ostensibly to inspect maintenance work at the site.
Questions were also raised as to why the plant executive engineer was located in an office at Sanguem town nearly 4 kms away from the plant, when his services were required at the plant.
Officials informed Phaldessai and Cabral that the plant needs a total revamp as it was constructed in the 1990s and the plant is almost technologically outdated. Assistant Engineers Borkar and Joshi told the MLAs that a 100 MLD Japan International Cooperation Agency plant will be made operational by December end. On commissioning of the new plant, work would immediately commence to renovate and upgrade the existing plant.
During their two-hour visit to the plant, Phaldessai and Cabral who viewed in the functioning of the plant, given the frequent problems faced by people from Sanguem and Curchorem were told by the officials that the turbid water was being supplied to people due to increased demand for water supply.
Officials said that the pipeline supplying water to Curchorem constituency had been shifted from the base of the tank to some 75 cms above the bottom of the tank to prevent the supply of turbid water to people in Curchorem.
