The commissioning of the 6.75 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) being constructed at Margao and sponsored by Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) is going to be delayed by at least one year as the Public Works Department has commenced hot-mixing roads, including the National Highway where some of the sewerage treatment manholes are constructed.
The PWD, as a policy, does not allow any road digging or cutting for one year after the roads are asphalted and that is why the commissioning of the project will be delayed by one year as lot of work on the roadside is still pending.
Officials of Mumbai-based SMC, the company responsible for construction of the project, admit that three manholes are yet to be constructed at the old Station Road section. Besides, the chambers by the road side are yet to be constructed at many places and this too will have to be taken up only after one year.
Chambers are constructed by the roadside which are directly linked to the manhole so that the road needs not be dug again to construct them. Sewerage lines from households and buildings are connected directly to the chambers from where it goes to the manholes.
While at many places the chambers have been cut so there will be no problem to connect the houses or buildings in those areas to the sewerage system; at places where the chambers are not constructed, it will not be possible to connect the houses or buildings.
Incidentally the civil work of the Sewerage Treatment Plant is complete and only the electrical connection was awaited. It was being said that the contractor had to be paid Rs. 10 crore for the work already undertaken and hence was not taking up new works till his pending money was paid.
Commissioning of this plant is awaited eagerly to address the sewerage problems faced by Margao as residential complexes are steadily experiencing the nightmare of having their septic tanks overflowing and spilling on the roadside.
Sewerage lines have been laid in areas like Housing Board, New Market area, municipal square and garden area, behind Grace Church, Kunde petrol pump area, Navelim church and surrounding areas, Rawanfond to Raviraj hotel, Rawanfond to Navelim church, Konkan Railway station and surrounding areas, etc.
All these roads are now being asphalted and hence it will be difficult to the residents of these areas to be connected to the sewerage treatment plant.
The problem in Margao will worsen given the fact that the existing sewerage treatment plant is saturated resulting in septic tank overflow and everybody was waiting for the new plant to start to give relief to the people.
